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November 25, 2024
Ngutukākā survival hinges on restoration efforts
Gideon Porter
Posted On November 25, 2024
Download AudioA Māori botanist says a beautiful native shrub that turns red and crimson as it flowers, is desperately in need of help.
Ngutukākā, or kākābeak, was once prolific from Hawke’s Bay to the Bay of Islands, however, pests—particularly deer and goats—have driven the wild species to the brink of survival, with most now clinging to inaccessible cliffs and bluffs, primarily on the East Cape.
DOC botanist Graeme Atkins, of Ngāti Porou, is one of the driving forces behind the Tairāwhiti Ngutukākā Trust.
He says species types have plummeted from about 250 to fewer than 100 today.
“We get seeds from plants in the wild, and they propagate them. And then our trust buys them back through sponsorship that we have with Trees That Count… And put them back into people’s daily lives, because how do you expect people to care for something when they no longer interact with it,” says Atkins.
Graeme Atkins says one-day Ngutukākā will thrive again in all its former habitats, this time protected from pests.
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