Returning wingbeats to Maungaharuru worth celebrating

Date:  03 December 2018

Many people from all over Aotearoa gathered at Tangoio Marae to celebrate the last six to seven years of returning locally extinct manu - birds, which were once prolific, back to the maunga.

Trevor Taurima, Maungaharuru-Tangitū Kaumātua said, “It was a privilege for the hapū to welcome and celebrate this momentous achievement with all those involved over the years.” 

“It was very special for us to personally thank everyone for their gifts of these precious taonga, which will allow our maunga to roar again with the sound of wingbeats and song.”

Maungaharuru means the mountain that rumbles and roars.

All the manu translocations have had a lot of support from iwi, volunteers and Poutiri Ao ō Tāne partners - so there were a lot of people to thank. Volunteers alone have contributed over 15,000 hours of their time since 2011.

“These translocations represent thousands of hours of volunteer and staff time, hundreds of thousands of dollars, and a huge commitment from people all over the country to restore our treasured biodiversity for future generations,” said Connie Norgate, Operations Manage, DOC Hawke’s Bay. “This is truly something to celebrate.”

The manu which have been brought back as part of Poutiri Ao ō Tāne include: kākā, Kākāriki/yellow crowned parakeet, pāteke/brown teal, titi/Cook’s petrel and kōrure/mottled petrel.

One of the success stories is the kōrure translocation. This was a New Zealand first and is already showing signs of success. Over 350 chicks were brought from Whenua Hou - Codfish Island over four years. 99% of them fledged. Once fledged they flew out to sea and were not expected to return for about four to five years. Last summer the first adult returned, giving hope that more will return and breed over the next few years.

Trevor points out, “There is still a long way to go before we have a roaring maunga again, but the journey is now in full swing and it is worth celebrating”.

Further information

Poutiri Ao ō Tāne is a collaborative large-scale ecological restoration project covering 8,800 ha in the Maungaharuru Range, with Boundary Stream Mainland Island at it’s heart. It is north of Napier, near lake Tutira.

This collaboration includes Maungaharuru Tangitu, Ngāti Pahauwera, Ngāti Hineuru, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, Department of Conservation, Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, the Aotearoa Foundation and the local community and businesses.

Poutiri Ao ō Tāne is a sister project to Cape to City and Predator Free Hawke’s Bay.

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