Nursery project puts biosecurity at centre Restoring 900 hectares in the Waipoua Valley in Northland from exotic forestry to a mosaic of sustainable land uses is a major project. It requires plenty of thought, planning and long-term thinking. Fortunately the Te Toa Whenua initiative by Te Roroa iwi is an ambitious ecological restoration project up to the challenge. Transforming land returned as part of the Treaty of Waitangi settlement process, Te Toa Whenua seeks to restore and protect the wāhi tapu (sacred place) through eradication of weeds and animal pests and active native forest restoration.
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“The restoration and environmental health of our whenua and ngahere (native forest) is of utmost importance to Te Toa Whenua so that our future generations will continue this mahi (work) into fruition,” Freda Walker, manager of Te Roroa’s Te Toa Whenua Nursery, says. The Te Toa Whenua Nursery has supplied over 20,000 native tree species for propagation and planting since it began 2 years ago. The nursery establishment and initial operation has been supported by the One Billion Trees programme. By funding end in 2023, the nursery will have capacity to produce 100,000 native seedlings a year.
Freda says the project is “hugely rewarding” but not without significant challenges. Top of mind is the sobering reality they are located at ‘ground zero’ of kauri disease, caused by a pathogen called Phytophthora agathidicida. The borders of the former forestry block run along the Waipoua River, adjacent to the iconic Waipoua Kauri Forest. Tāne Mahuta, the world's largest known kauri tree and over 2,000 years old, is only 20km away. “Mana whenua consider these ancient trees our tīpuna. To know that our ancestors are in serious danger is traumatising for us,” Freda says.
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