Nearly 2,000 young kauri have been planted across five sites in the Waitākere Ranges, marking a major milestone in the long-term effort to restore and protect one of Aotearoa’s most treasured taonga species.
The seedlings have come full circle. They were propagated from seeds collected from healthy kauri in the Waitākere Ranges, nurtured at a Rotorua nursery and have now returned to their ancestral whenua in Te Wao Nui o Tiriwā.
The planting is part of Te Kāwai Kauri, bringing together mana whenua Te Kawerau ā Maki, Auckland Council and scientific partners to protect the whakapapa and future of Waitākere kauri.
For Te Kawerau ā Maki, the kaupapa is about much more than planting trees. Kauri are regarded as rangatira and living tūpuna, with their wellbeing inseparable from the health and mauri of the ngahere.
The project is particularly significant as kauri dieback remains a major threat. There is currently no known cure, meaning preventing the movement of contaminated soil, protecting healthy trees and continuing research remain critical.
Te Kawerau ā Maki Chief Executive Edward Ashby joins Radio Waatea to discuss bringing these young kauri home, the importance of kaitiakitanga and the hope that some could eventually become the thousand-year-old giants of tomorrow.
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