June 06, 2022
Trevor Taurima-Queen’s Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours 2022
To be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit: TAURIMA, Mr Teaiorangi Trevor (Trevor)
For services to Māori, sport and conservation
Mr Trevor Taurima has been an instrumental driver of collaborative restoration projects encompassing 34,000 hectares in the Hawke’s Bay.
Mr Taurima joined the Poutiri Ao ō Tāne project in 2011, an 8,800 hectare nature forest restoration project on the Maungaharuru Range. He played a key role in consultations for securing the return of kākā, kākāriki, tīti, kōrure and pātake to the Maungaharuru Range, obtaining support and applying his tikanga knowledge for translocations. He visited iwi and hapū across New Zealand and promoted the project across multiple forums, from large conferences such as New Zealand Biodiversity Challenge and Kahungungu Fish Hook summits, to smaller community groups. The ‘Cape to City’ project then applied the learnings of Poutiri Ao ō Tāne to protect 26,000 hectares under the umbrella of the Te Matau ā Māui project. He developed a plan to promote engagement with the project by tangata whenua. He is a cultural advisor to the Department of Conservation, attending to whale strandings, opening conferences, and blessing wildlife. He has chaired Ngāti Kahungunu Innovation Hub and been Secretary/Treasurer of Te Runanganui O Ngāti Kahungunu. He helped found the Ngā Hau E Whā Māori Squash Association in the 1980s. Mr Taurima is co-founder of Heretaunga Ararau O Ngāti Kahungunu Waka Ama Roopu.