Ka hua te mātauranga o te kiwi i te poro rākau - Timber harvest study set to help understand kiwi behaviour

A new approach to harvesting timber to protect kiwi is now under way in the 400-hectare Mangaoapa Forest on Parininihi ki Waitōtara whenua.

Richard Buttimore, Te Rau Whakahono Pito / GM Property for PKW, says that a pre-harvest blessing was held on site in the forest last November before work began.

“It was led by Ngāti Maru – and that’s when the first tree was cut. The blessing was about a safe harvest, and acknowledging Tāne, the trees and their contribution to our kaupapa.”

PKW had co-owned the land, which is located near Purangi, east of Inglewood, since it was originally planted with radiata pine about 30 years ago. In December 2022, the Incorporation bought out its joint-venture partner.

Richard says being sole owners means PKW has been able to carry out the harvest following its own kaupapa.

“Our values and our Kaitiakitanga Strategy mean our approach to harvest was going to be very different to what would normally happen. We are looking at minimising damage and protecting our taonga species and sensitive areas, which means not harvesting at all in some places.” The whenua, made up of 300 hectares of radiata pine and 100 hectares of native forest, is also home to kiwi, who are part of a ground-breaking research project.

“The native forest will remain. What we are trying to figure out with our kiwi project is where the kiwi are and their territorial areas within the block. There’s a strong inkling they are predominately nesting in the native (part), but it appears they do come out and are in the radiata pine forest as well,” says Richard.

NZ Forestry is the harvest manager for Fortuna Forest Products, which has pre-purchased the woodlot. Only the kiwi monitor person knows the location of the iconic birds – the rest of the harvest contractors will continue harvesting as they normally would.

But if they are getting close to a kiwi, especially a male on an egg in a nest, the monitor will alert the team.

“The intention is we will attempt not to intervene unless there is a male who won’t leave the nest or there is an abandoned egg. Otherwise, we’ll let it run its natural course, so we understand how the kiwi react to the process of harvesting.”

Richard says the study is believed to be the first of its kind and could help other forest ventures when developing kiwi management plans as part of their harvests.

In the last 12 months, four kiwi couples have been caught and tagged, and their territory mapped, but Richard says the team knows there are more kiwi in the area. It’s hoped that these can also be caught and tagged later this year.

Meanwhile, work at Mangaoapa Forest continues with the first few months spent setting up the infrastructure ready for harvest, while also felling about 10 hectares of trees. “Come March, it will be full steam ahead,” Richard says.

“In the contract we have prioritised local sawmills, so Taranakipine will get certain grades where it is economic to do so.”

The harvest will take two to three years and is expected to reap 180,000-plus tonnes of wood lot.

It’s also providing employment opportunities – at the start of harvesting and while building the track infrastructure there has been a peak of 16 full-time equivalent staff on the job.