January 22, 2024
Iwi sets 1000-year plan for Waitakere
The kaitiaki iwi for Auckland’s Waitakere Ranges is developing a thousand year plan for the protection of the ngāhere.
Te Kawerau Iwi Tiaki Trust chief executive Edward Ashby says the timeframe has raised eyebrows, but the forest’s kauri have been there for longer than that so it’s important to take a long term perspective.
He says a rāhui put over much of the ranges in 2017 has allowed the iwi and council to develop a new track system which protects trees in the centre of the forest from kauri die back disease.
“We used to have over 140 tracks – it was like a rabbit warren in there. We’re trying to pull people to the edge of the ngahere to protect the heart of it, but in terms of how it can improve in the future, we’re advocating for a 1000 year plan for our ngahere because that’s the mindset and the horizon you’ve got to look to if you want a seedling to become a giant rakau rangatira,” Mr Ashby says.
He says the rāhui has succeeded in containing kauri dieback ained to the edge of the forest.