Murihiku Regeneration
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Meet the team
    • Structure and Context
    • Office of Upoko
    • Te Rūnaka o Awarua
    • Waihōpai Rūnaka Inc.
    • Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka
    • Hokonui Rūnanga
    • Our Partners
    • Job vacancies
  • Events
    • Science and Innovation Wānanga
  • Our Mahi
    • Southern Ocean - Murihiku ki te Tonga
    • Green Energy
    • Tiwai Future
    • Te Ao Tūroa - Environment
    • Te Ara Aukati Kore - Education, Training, and Capability
    • Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities
    • Regional System Leadership
    • Just Transition
  • Latest News
  • Contact

News article

Papatipu Rūnanga create a ‘template for restoration’

Article written by Louisa Steyl. Published in Stuff.

What started as a simple idea to grow trees has become a social enterprise that’s steadily restoring the whenua of Murihiku while building futures for its rangatahi.

Te Tapu o Tāne officially opened its native nursery, named Te Kōhaka o Tāne (The Nest of Tānemahuta), in Invercargill on Wednesday, inviting partners and whānau to learn about its mahi.Kāi Tahu artist Steve Solomon of Te Rūnaka o Ōraka-Aparima, left, created a carving to mark the entrance to Te Kōhaka o Tāne (The Nest of Tānemahuta). He’s seen here with Te Tapu o Tāne board chairman Riki Parata and chief executive Jana Davis, right.Kāi Tahu artist Steve Solomon of Te Rūnaka o Ōraka-Aparima, left, created a carving to mark the entrance to Te Kōhaka o Tāne (The Nest of Tānemahuta). He’s seen here with Te Tapu o Tāne board chairman Riki Parata and chief executive Jana Davis, right.

One year in, the nursery has created 30 jobs, grown and sold more than 150,000 native plants, and is working on 16 restoration projects throughout the Murihiku takiwā.

The team plan to grow 500, 000 plants in the next 12 months with a vision of expanding to five million a year in the next five to 10 years.

Te Tapu o Tāne board chairman Riki Parata said the nursery wasn’t just about plants.Te Tapu o Tāne board chairman Riki Parata says the nursery marks new ground in terms of an environmental collaboration between iwi and council.Te Tapu o Tāne board chairman Riki Parata says the nursery marks new ground in terms of an environmental collaboration between iwi and council.

Started with funding from the Ministry of Primary Industries and the Department of Conservation’s Jobs for nature fund, Te Tapu o Tāne is a collaboration between Ki Papatipu Rūnanga o Murihiku and the Invercargill City Council which own the land the nursery has been built on.

From a social perspective, it provides a space where rangatahi can train and gain qualifications in environmental jobs while generating profit to be used in the community.

“We want to have [career] pathways for the future,” Parata said.

Environmentally, Pou Tūraka (chief executive) Jana Davis said Te Tapu o Tāne was a chance for mana whenua to show what a template for restoration could look like.

“This project is a way to combat climate change at scale… successful restoration is about creating a relationship between community and te Taiao (natural environment).”

Catchment management was needed for environmental change, he said, “because what happens in the headwaters affects us here”.

He wanted people who did business with Te Tapu o Tāne to feel like they were making an investment rather than simply transacting, Davis said.

Invercargill City Council leisure and recreation manager Steve Gibling said the council had land it wasn’t using and wanted to support mana whenua as its partner.

“[Iwi] are a critical partner in our community, and we need to understand mana whenua. This is a great way to partner shoulder to shoulder.”

Te Tapu o Tāne has already built a 2000 square meter nursery space along with a 1800 square meter shade house.

A newly built tunnel house will fit half a million seedlings while two planned 2200 square meter nurseries will add spaced for another one million plants.Te Tapu o Tāne Pou Whakahaere Phil Moeke, left, Kaiwhakahaere Mahi Ashleigh Taomia, and Pou Tūraka Jana Davis hope to be growing five million native plants in the next five to 10 years.Te Tapu o Tāne Pou Whakahaere Phil Moeke, left, Kaiwhakahaere Mahi Ashleigh Taomia, and Pou Tūraka Jana Davis hope to be growing five million native plants in the next five to 10 years.

Posted: 22 September 2022

Prev article
All articles
Next article

© 2023 Murihiku Regeneration • Website by RS

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Meet the team
    • Structure and Context
    • Office of Upoko
    • Te Rūnaka o Awarua
    • Waihōpai Rūnaka Inc.
    • Ōraka Aparima Rūnaka
    • Hokonui Rūnanga
    • Our Partners
      • MSD Community Connection Service
    • Job vacancies
  • Events
    • Science and Innovation Wānanga
      • Hon Dr Megan Woods
      • Tā Tipene O’Regan (Upoko)
      • Dr Michael Stevens
      • Terry Nicholas
      • Ivan Hodgetts
      • Riki Parata
      • Jana Davis
      • Dr Andrew Forrest AO (Fortescue Group)
      • Professor Sally Brooker (University of Otago)
      • Guy Waipara and James Flannery
      • Professor Frank Griffin and Milton Munro
      • Aditi Cook (Ministry of Education)
      • Rangatahi Tumeke Group
      • RPS Group
      • Mike Shatford
  • Our Mahi
    • Southern Ocean - Murihiku ki te Tonga
      • Subantarctic Islands
      • The Ross Sea Sector
      • Research and Monitoring
    • Green Energy
      • Clean Energy Workstream
        • Working Group - Meet the Team
        • Renewable Energy Strategy
        • Documents - Key Reading
        • Have your say
      • Hydrogen and Green Energy
      • Hydrogen and Climate Change
      • Bell Bay Hydrogen Cluster
      • Lake Onslow Hydro Scheme
    • Tiwai Future
      • Preliminary Closure Study
      • Cultural Significance of Tiwai Point
      • Environmental significance of Tiwai Point and surrounds
      • Tiwai Point - a contaminated site
      • Key documents and further reading
      • Have your say
    • Te Ao Tūroa - Environment
      • Hokonui Rūnanga Kaupapa Taiao
      • Te Tapu o Tāne Ltd
      • Climate change
      • Have your say
    • Te Ara Aukati Kore - Education, Training, and Capability
      • LEARNZ Hokonui Restoration: Tech in Te Taiao
      • LEARNZ Hokonui restoration field trip videos
      • Worker Transitions Workstream
      • Have your say!
    • Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities
    • Regional System Leadership
    • Just Transition
      • Have your say!
  • Latest News
  • Contact