Vision Matauranga support for hapū

New funds have been allocated to support the co-management of freshwater in Tairawhiti. Hapū collective, Hikurangi Takiwā Trust, will host a two year placement of freshwater scientist, Dr Joanne Clapcott, from the Cawthron Institute, New Zealand’s largest independent science organisation.

The placement will be funded by the Te Punaha Hihiko – Vision Matauranga Capability Fund from the Ministry for Business Innovation & Employment. This is the fourth round for the Fund which was established to grow skills and capacity for Māori participation in science and innovation and support outcomes that benefit New Zealand.

The placement will help discover and develop local capability through the design and application of a cultural monitoring framework for freshwater resources.

“The cultural monitoring framework provides the backbone of the placement from which we hope to develop new tools for local hapū and landowners to engage in freshwater management” says Dr Clapcott.

Proposed new ‘tools’ include:

• a locally relevant cultural health indicator
• a monitoring network that identifies and incorporates the values of local hapū
• a five year regional engagement plan that promotes co-learning amongst neighbouring hapū collectives with parallel aspirations to increase their freshwater management capability.

Hikurangi Takiwā Trust has strong kaitiakitanga aspirations and a desire to engage in the co-management of freshwater in the Waiapu rohe. Following the ratification of the Joint Management Agreement between Te Runanga o Ngāti Porou and Gisborne District Council in 2015, Hikurangi Takiwā Trust have been identifying ways to actively engage in the co-management of environmental resources in the Waiapu catchment.

“Hikurangi Takiwā Trust are stoked to host and work alongside Dr Joanne Clapcott – who has affiliations to local hapū Te Aitanga a Mate – in her placement and build our freshwater skill set” says Trustee Pia Pohatu.

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Meanwhile, Hikurangi Takiwā Trust has teamed up with He Awa Ora, He Tai Ora, Healthy Rivers Living Sea Education Trust to offer a two day training workshop this week on stream and river quality monitoring.

The workshop for hapū members, marae representatives, local landowners, teachers and students is on 27^th and 28^th June at Kariaka Pa, Ruatoria.

For more information and to register please contact Pia Pohatu: pia@uritukuiho.org.nz

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Hikurangi Takiwa Trust is a hapū collective progressing the interests and responsibilities of Te Aitanga-a-Mate, Te Aowera, Te Whānau-a-Rākairoa, Te Whānau-a-Hinekehu and Te Awemapara hapū located between Waipiro Bay and Ruatorea.

Freshwater Monitoring Workshop

Hikurangi Takiwa Trust has teamed up with He Awa Ora, He Tai Ora, Healthy Rivers Living Sea Education Trust to offer a two day training workshop on stream and river quality monitoring. 

The free workshop will cover a wide range of low cost, user-friendly tools and scientifically robust techniques for assessing the quality and changes in waterways in Tairāwhiti. The workshop will be based in the Waikohu and Makatote streams that feed into the awa Mata. Cultural considerations and Health & Safety issues will also be covered in the workshop.

Accommodation is available and we encourage participation from hapu members, marae representatives, local landowners, teachers and students.

The workshop will start 10am Monday 27 June at Kariaka Pa, Ruatoria and conclude 3pm 28 June.

For more information and to register please contact Pia Pohatu: pia@uritukuiho.org.nz 

Tieki Te Taiao Wananga Oct & Nov 2015

Lock in the dates for our final two conservation and cultural mapping wananga in October and November.

Mapping the Hapū: GIS Wānanga 9-12 April, Hiruharama

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Hikurangi Takiwā Trust is pleased to invite whānau members affiliated to Te Aitanga-a-Mate, Te Aowera and Te Whānau-a-Rākairoa to a GIS/GoogleMaps wānanga to be held 9-12 April at Hiruharama Pa.

Rangatahi are especially encouraged to attend as there will be a special programme for teenagers and tamariki focused on creating GIS maps and 3D models for the six pa in the takiwā.

The wānanga starts 9.30am 9 Apereira at Hiruharama and concludes early Sunday 12th April. Hiruharama Pa is WiFi equipped and necessary tools and resources will be uploaded to a website for prior access and downloading to personal devices.

Sessions include:

• GIS in Conservation Reserves, a Ngati Porou case study
• My Marae, My Hapu, My Iwi: Using Google Maps in a Marae kind of way
• Geography & Placenames: the Ngai Tahu Project
• GIS for monitoring hapū wellbeing
• Site Visit: Kahuitara or Makatote – setting hinaki
• Hikurangi sunrise haerenga including drone filming of the maunga

Whanau will have the opportunity to work in small groups focused on different mapping kaupapa. There will also be an opportunity for those who wish to find out about local manuka oil production and plans for a nursery to participate in a workshop on this kaupapa.

There is no cost for the wānanga but numbers are limited so registration by 3 April is essential. Accommodation is available at Hiruharama Pa. Any koha/kai appreciated – ma tau rourou, ma taku rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.

Online registration is essential – sign up here: www.earthoutreach.org.nz

For more information visit the wananga website or contact: Pia Pohatu – pia@uritukuiho.org.nz

Hapu restoration project already having positive impact

A conservation project by hapu on the East Coast is generating interest and momentum amongst local whanau, hapu, marae and kura.

Tieki Te Taiao is a three year project to identify and protect sites of ecological and cultural significance between Whareponga and Hikurangi Maunga. Supported by the Department of Conservation, the first year of the project is focused on assessing our natural resources and planning for restoration of key sites in the years to come.

At the first of six wananga held last weekend at Whareponga, environmental scientists Lois Easton (Gisborne District Council) and Murray Palmer (Nga Mahi Te Taiao Ltd) provided hapu members with training on wetland plant and weed identification and water quality monitoring.

Left to right: Hapu members Sara Ngarimu, Kapa Keelan, Maria Wynyard, Claude Walker, Tarsh Koia, Angela Tibble, Pia Pohatu and scientist Murray Palmer.

“Wananga are awesome learning opportunities. It is always great to visit our places of significance, reconnect as whanau and share learnings with invited experts. Our rangatahi – so kamakama with their technological savvy – played an important part in recording our discoveries and results. It is a bonus that our whanau are moved to start protection works ‘instantaneously’ on-site.” said Pia Pohatu, Project Manager for Hikurangi Takiwa Trust.

Collecting water samples in Hikuku wetland 

As a result of the information shared, whanau and hapu members started removing the South American Swamp Flower that was found at the wetland visited. Hikuku and the other four wetlands on the Waikohu block are important to us historically and culturally and they also provide important fresh water habitat. Ms Pohatu said “following the erection of stockproof fencing hapu members are planning regular camps to continue eeling practices, remove weeds, monitor water quality and replant areas with suitable native plant species”.

Clearing South American Swamp Flower

The Trust is developing a comprehensive assessment of the health of the land, water and biodiversity that will form a ‘State of the Rohe’ environmental report by the end of this year.

Local residents and landowners in the area have been invited to participate in the project. Support available for landowners includes training and resources that support sustainable land and water management. Volunteers helping with habitat restoration through site and resource specific plans, seed collection, propagation and replanting of sites and some financial support for conservation activities are also available.

“By landowners identifying sites of significance or determining what sustainable land and water management means to them we are able to support their needs and aspirations in a variety of ways including accessing technical and scientific expertise that will enable us to restore habitats” said Ms Pohatu.

“Over the year we are working through our whole rohe (tribal area), to identify and prioritise sites and habitats that are important to the hapu and need protection.”

Looking out from Kokai over Whareponga to Kaimoho

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For more information landowners can contact Pia Pohatu at pmcpohatu@gmail.com, telephone 06 8648667 or 021 653341 and via www.hikurangi.wordpress.com

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Left to right: Hapu members Sara Ngarimu, Kapa Keelan, Maria Wynyard, Claude Walker, Tarsh Koia, Angela Tibble, Pia Pohatu and scientist Murray Palmer.

Claude Walker talking about the layout of Hikuku wetlands and changes he has noticed over the past decade.

Hiruharama students identifying aquatic life to assess habitat status and water quality.

A six hour walk over the sacred maunga Kokai above Whareponga identified a number of areas requiring protection and removal of exotic plants.

 

 

Tieki Te Taiao o Te Takiwa – Environmental protection and restoration – Pānui 1

9 Pepuere 2015
Nga mihi o te wa ki a koe, koutou ko tou whanau

RE: Tieki Te Taiao o Te Takiwa – Environmental protection and restoration

Hikurangi Takiwa Trust (HTT) is a charitable trust supporting a collective of hapū Te Aitanga a Mate, Te Aowera and Te Whānau a Rakairoa. These hapu are affiliated to lands of the tributaries of the Mata River including Whakapaurangi, Hiruharama, Makarika, bound by Hikurangi inland and Whareponga at the coast. 

We are keen to support local landowners, lessees, whanau and marae with environmental protection initiatives to restore natural habitat, protect flora and fauna and improve biodiversity. We can support your conservation efforts through:
1. Developing a comprehensive assessment of the health of the land, water and biodiversity within our takiwa
2. Sharing and training tools and resources that support sustainable land & water management
3. Facilitating and coordinating technical and scientific expertise
4. Enabling habitat restoration through site and resource specific plans and seed collection and propogation to support eco-sourced replanting of sites
5. Some financial support for costs associated with conservation and restoration activities.

A range of events including hapū wānanga and community workshops will be convened to facilitate this kaupapa. A ‘State of the Takiwa” report will be produced identifying priority sites for restoration by October 2015. Protection and restoration action is the key focus from November 2015 onwards.

This project is supported by the Conservation Community Partnership Fund through Te Papa Atawhai (DOC) and their staff, Gisborne District Council, Nga Whenua Rahui, local experts and scientists and our local schools/ education providers.

If you would like to find out more please contact Pia Pohatu at pmcpohatu@gmail.com. 06 8648667 or 021 653341. You can also check out www.hikurangi.wordpress.com.

Naku noa na,
Pia Pohatu.
Trustee & Project Manager

Conservation funding to restore natural habitat of hapū estate

A collective of six marae on the East Coast is to receive funding to help restore ecosystems within their hapu.

The Hikurangi Takiwa Trust will receive $83,000 over three years from the Department of Conservation Community Conservation Partnership Fund for a restoration project “Tieki Te Taiao o Te Takiwa.” The project is focused on land blocks, waterways and communities around Whareponga, Hiruharama, Whakapaurangi and Makarika.

Hiruharama School students learn traditional trapping methods

This is a practical on-the-ground conservation project which will see a difference in their rohe (area), working together with other stakeholders says Conservation Partnership Manager, Ms De-Arne Sutherland. “This is an example of a hapu community-led project with support from DOC”

Ms Pia Pohatu, Environmental Researcher and Trustee says theTrust wants to progress environmental protection initiatives that restore natural habitat for plants and animals within their hapu. “The project provides an opportunity to focus efforts as kaitieki and links closely with the economic, cultural, health and educational priorities of our hapu.”

“A comprehensive assessment of the state of the environment within our hapu will be used to plan and prioritise restoration projects which add most value to the future well-being of the area and our whanau” says Ms Pohatu.

The Trust will work with landowners, marae and schools in the area supported by the Department of Conservation, Gisborne District Council, Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou and other agencies that hold relevant information about the area.

The project involves collating technical information such as land cover, climate, soil and water quality utilising Geographic Information System mapping to produce hapu-relevant maps and aids to better understand the hapu estate.

“We are very excited about this work and collaborating with Te Papa Atawhai , landowners and other organisations. It will strengthen our connections with our hapu lands and waters, and leave an improved environmental legacy that our children and grandchildren can continue to enhance” says Ms Pohatu.

Freshwater scientist Murray Palmer shows Makarika School students how to monitor water quality at the Makatote Stream.

In association with Maori Incorporations and ahuwhenua trusts, property owners and residents in the hapū area, a Hapū State of the Environment Report will be produced. The report will include recommended priority conservation projects for the next two years and the DOC funding will assist with this work.

This project is one of three East Coast applications successful in the first allocation for the new Community Conservation Partnership Fund.

–Ends–

Contacts

• Department of Conservation: De-Arne Sutherland, Conservation Partnerships Manager, Phone: (06) 8690460 or Mobile: (027) 491 8805
• Hikurangi Takiwa Trust: Pia Pohatu, Trustee, Phone (021) 653 341, Email: pia@uritukuiho.org.nz

 

Background information

The Community Conservation Partnership Fund was announced in March this year and provides $26 million over the next four years to community organisations undertaking natural heritage and recreation projects. The Fund will support hundreds of projects on public and private land.

A full list of the successful applicants is available at here.

Hikurangi Takiwa Trust represents a collective of six marae within the Te Aitanga-a-Mate, Te Aowera and Te Whanau A Rakairoa hapu area on the East Coast.