9 December 2022

A new kaupapa started this year that focuses on new and unique approaches to Māori-led indigenous land and forestry systems.

Led by Ngāti Hine Forestry Trust and supported by Scion, the project is funded through the Te Uru Rākau (New Zealand Forest Service) One Billion Trees initiative. This project aims to develop a transition strategy to shift from exotic pine to an indigenous forest system through rangahau and research, wānanga and indigenous forestry trial sites.

This project is significant because it not only considers a kaupapa Māori approach, it is unique to Ngāti Hine mātauranga through a rangahau philosophy that incorporates Te tū o Ngāti Hine, kaitiakitanga, mahi tahi and He Whenua Hua, He Tangata Ora.

Scion and other partners provide examples of trial design and other technical knowledge from our science experience and expertise. Those examples and knowledge are then used to co-design the final trial design with understanding the critical inputs, importance and availability of plant species and rākau taketake types, and their prevalence in the past, present  and future. All this work will be confirmed at trial sites selected within the Ngāti Hine rohe/estate.