The Tū Mai Taonga Project
“After rats were removed from Rangiāhua in 2008 two pairs of kākāriki, the red crowned parakeet came back, and red-billed gulls started to nest around the southern end of the island. But the rats have returned and the kākāriki have moved on. I’d like to see predators off the whole island, not just knocked down. Then native species will flourish.”
Tū Mai Taonga - Year in Review
View the latest update and news from the Tū Mai Taonga Project
Based on tikanga
Ngāti Rehua-Ngātiwai ki Aotea has established six values that are placed as Pou to guide efforts in protecting our environment and restoring the mauri of Aotea. These values guide all aspects of Tū Mai Taonga and how it will be led and implemented.
Pou Oranga: Our people to be spiritually, mentally, and physically healthy
Pou Wānanga: Our people attain and preserve the knowledge of our tupuna
Pou Wehi: Our people revere and uphold our tikanga and principles to its highest standard
Pou Ihi: Our people are focussed, committed, and possess strength and power in the work they perform.
Pou Mana: Our people retain the mana of our tupuna and exercise this for the benefit and well- being of our whanau and hapu
Pou Makurangi: Our people seek improvement through education, training, and experience
These values ensure we are aligned with the pathway set by our tupuna and help others understand and join with us in our journey.
Our Purpose
The purpose of the Tū Mai Taonga Project is to protect and restore native species and ecosystems in the Aotea Conservation Park and Northern Aotea through feral cat removal and intensified rat management, with the long term goal of removing them from the whole of Aotea. The project has received initial funding from the Jobs for Nature - Mahi mō te Taiao programme through Predator Free 2050 Limited and the Department of Conservation, and from Auckland Council.
This is enabling Tū Mai Taonga to establish meaningful and equitable partnerships between mana whenua and the community; create long term jobs and career paths; and allow the development of new research and landscape-scale
operational methodologies that transform the environmental and employment outlook of the island. Transition to the umbrella of Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust in December 2021 gave the project mana; enabling it to proceed with appropriate tikanga and to
determine new ways of exercising kaitiakitanga for the island. A Project Steering Committee was appointed to oversee and make key financial and strategic decisions for the project.
