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The East Coast community of Tolaga Bay-Uawa is celebrating a plan to protect its environment into the future.
Uawanui Sustainability Project chair Victor Walker says the release of the plan at Hauiti Marae was a joyous occasion, and marked the end of a decade of work.
The plan includes a memorandum of understanding between Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti and the Allan Wilson Centre, a centre for research excellence specialising in molecular ecology and evolution.
Mr Walker says the goal is to get the environment back to the point that it was at on October 5, 1769 – one day before Captain James Cook arrived.
Projects already under way include planting at Tolaga Bay Area School and developing a riverbank restoration guide.
Future projects include restoring pipi beds and reintroducing of bird species such as weka and dotterels.
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