Te Hākari Wetland restoration: a case study

Abstract

The New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy (2000) envisages a major role for communities in habitat restoration. It recognises the special role of Māori as kaitiaki (guardians) of their ancestral lands. Ngā Whenua Rāhui and Mātauranga Kura Taiao have been established under the Department of Conservation, to promote Māori conservation initiatives and encourage hapū/iwi participation in managing biodiversity in ways consistent with mātauranga Māori (customary knowledge). Te Hākari, a modified wetland remnant in the Horowhenua, is a tāonga (treasured possession) of the hapū (subtribe) Te Rangitāwhia, Te Mateawa, Kapumanawawhiti and iwi (tribe) Ngāti Tukorehe, who are undertaking a project to restore the wetland area. This research identifies key challenges faced in a Māori restoration project, using a cross-cultural collaborative case study to describe the history and current status of the wetland project, and to provide an initial appraisal of its habitat zones and potential for ecological restoration. The research aims to locate Te Hākari within the overall context of wetland restoration and biodiversity conservation, with particular reference to the Biodiversity Strategy. A key conclusion is that the participants consider that the restoration of Te Hākari and its environs is not only about restoring a natural ecosystem: restoring the health of the physical environment is fundamentally linked to the well-being of their community as a whole.