Inaugural CEO appointed
Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust is delighted to announce the appointment of its inaugural CEO, Louise Saunders.
The Trust will play a lead role in the environmental restoration of the Kaimai Mamaku ranges.
Passionately committed to the wellbeing of the Kaimai Mamaku forests and catchments, Louise joins the Trust after 25 years as a consulting ecologist, the last 18 years of which were with leading environmental consultants Boffa Miskell Ltd. Louise also brings to the role many years of experience in project management, community engagement and collaboration.
“The founding role for Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust is an opportunity to make a significant difference to conservation and communities on a scale rarely seen in New Zealand,” says Louise. “Growing up under the Ranges, and tramping and volunteering in the Kaimai Mamaku forests, have given me a deep personal connection to their wellbeing.”
In 2020, the Department of Conservation announced a commitment of over $19 million toward the restoration of the Kaimai Mamaku through Jobs For Nature funding. Alongside iwi and hapū, the Trust is working with the Department of Conservation to ensure that money is well-spent.
The Trust will also bring together the many stakeholders in the wellbeing of the Kaimai Mamaku to develop a wide range of iwi, hapū and community-based projects to restore environmental wellbeing.
Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust is a registered charitable trust established in 2019.
The Trust’s main kaupapa (purpose) is to restore the mauri (essence) of the ngahere (bush) of the Kaimai Mamaku. Eleven trustees representing iwi and hapū and community interests govern the Trust.
In September 2020, the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage announced a $19 million investment over four years in the Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project. The Project involves a partnership between the Department of Conservation, iwi/hapū, the Bay of Plenty and Waikato Regional Councils, community conservation groups and organisations such as Forest and Bird across the Bay of Plenty and Waikato. The Kaimai-Mamaku Ranges Forest Restoration Project comprises six areas or ecological hubs covering more than 240,000 hectares from Te Aroha to Tokoroa, with specific conservation goals for each area.
“The $19 million in funding and the pest and predator control work it enables will help protect rare species including the Te Aroha stag beetle, kōkako and kiwi along with long tailed bats and precious kauri trees,” said Eugenie Sage.
Approximately 60 jobs are expected to be created through the investment over four years, which is part of the Government’s $1.3 billion Jobs for Nature programme.
Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust is also a key partner in the pest control project “Toward Thriving Kaimai” developed by Bay of Plenty and Waikato Regional Councils and the Department of Conservation.