Kaitiakitanga

Kaitiakitanga Program and Network
Te Whaiti Nui-a-Toi children
guard and share Whirinaki,
their culture, language and values

1.6.3 "The Sanctuary*" Project Details:

* The Community is considering what the Maori name for this sacred place of Tane the God of the Forest should be.

This project covers a forrested hill site behind the Village that remains intact amidst land milled all around it. It starts at the Minginui Stream and leads onwards via an old ridge track to the top of Tarapounamu then on via a saddle to the top of Tuwatawata the sacred maunga of Ngati Whare and Marangaranga before them. Numerous kainga (villages) were along this route.

In State Forestry days this area, now known as "The Sanctuary" was designated as having sanctuary status thereby giving it the the highest protection available; something that was only done in one or two other places in the country. It was left undisturbed despite it containing some magnificent timber specimens that would not have gone un-noticed by those then working the Prentice Bothers Mill at its base. The reasons for this was probably not because of any higher motives on the part of the State Forestry personnel to preserve the area, but rather an awareness of the Mauri (The force that connects the physical with the spiritual) of this place that was conveyed to them by the local people. Many of their ancestor's pito (afterbirth) would be buried under the roots of these trees, thus connecting them to it and Papatuanuku (mother earth) by whakapapa.

This is a place abounding with species diversity where the balances and interconnectedness of nature are evident. It is not a place for the recreational eco-tourist wishing to remotely observe nature from carefully graded tracks, dug deep into the roots of papatuanuku by machines, and badged by marketing people with corporate egos and logos.

Rather it is for those who want to experience themselves as being part of nature itself. Those who know not to walk on tree roots, who are delighted to be able to clamber carefully over the fallen logs, branches leaves and fungi on the track that are part of the ecocycle of life and death in the forest, who marvel at the caverns and hollow logs that give protection for Kiwi and other life, who listen quietly to the song of birds and seek to understand once again what it is to be native on our earth.

Adjacent to this area is the enclosure which provides a predator free area around an area of regenerating bush in which species can be protected by the fence and the electric wires to dissuade possums and other pests from entering.

This is home to part of the Kiwi recovery programme. Many eggs have been taken from here bred and later re-released. One such Kiwi was named Aratapu (pathway to the sacred) to capture the spirit of this place.

The local community supported by their tamariki (children) at Te Kura Toitu o Te Whaiti Nui-a-Toi as kaitiaki wish to adopt the sanctuary area , so that its Mauri can be restored and kept intact for all future generations. All interpretation will be in Te Reo ( the maori language) and by doing this many more people will be equipped to guide visitors to Whirinaki on a unique learning journey.

Some References:

• The late Evelyn Stokes, University of Waikato published "Te Urewera - nga iwi, te whenua, te ngahere - People, land and forests of Te Urewera" 1986. Her research helped uncover some of the rich history of this place.

• Bob St Paul - a bushman who split posts in the Minginui Stream area and for some 15 years meticulously recorded birds on his way to and from work. Much of this was published in Notornis the Journal of the Ornithological Society of NZ and can be accessed in the index and downloaded here http://www.notornis.org.nz/50year_index/Notornis_Index_Authors.pdf The main works are "A bushman's seventeen years of noting birds"

Outcomes expected:

• A unique place where visitors can experience being at one on nature along with all other species
• A community confidently taking its place in the world and sharing its treasures.
• Visitors experiencing Whirinaki will return to their home as different and wiser people.
• An effective partnership of mutual respect with DOC, along the lines specified on their website

Start Date:
Expected Completion:

Budget:

Nominal Project Leader:

Project Team:

Issues Register:

Progress Log

NOTICES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

Our gift to you - download our Free Whirinaki Wall Calendar

What Andree a sustainability writer discovered about Kaitiakitanga

The Maori Youth Hikoi to Bioneers Conference, San Francisco 16 Oct 08
VIDEO "Redesigning our Future" - Youth Forum with Michael Braungart

Check out our school's Energy Monitoring / Weatherstation project
WEMZ - The Whirinaki Ecological Restoration Zone - a project with DOC
DOC partnerships information kiosk, Mangamate, Sanctuary(proposed)

Take a photo tour through our valley see restoration work needed
Ready to start - our Whirinaki Centre, Nursary and Recycling Projects
Blocked - Our project to upgrade our water supply in Minginui Mar 07
Thanks TPK for facilitating Govt support for Minginui initiatives

Celebrate what our friends at Hokianga Harbourcare are doing
Our Network's Mycorestoration Research Project - Fungi and mushroom
Our Lopez friends help Raglan initiate an affordable housing program

Thanks MfE for a big toxin cleanup on our millsites - July 07
Blocked - our Community Digital Strategy - Whirinaki Interactive 12/06
Prince Andrew adopts our Kiwi, Princess Beatrice on Mokoia Is Mar 07
Our network on the Kiwi Youth Voice learning journey to US. Mar 07
Our network at Youth Voice Digital Earth Summit on Sustainbility Aug 06
We welcomed Hunter Lovins 7-9 July 06, VIDEO view NZ tour resources
Thanks Waikato University for help with broadband 05
Thanks Housing Corp, house painting and marae restoration teams
Go Tramping in Whirinaki. See Kaka, Kiwi, Weka, Robin, Blueduck
Report Living Organisation workshops. Tipu Ake presented worldwide 05
Report Hikoi to Indigenous Knowledges Conf , Well, NZ. June 05
Thanks to UNITEC Architecture Students for help with town plans 04
Report on Sustainable Resources Conf, Colorado 04
Report on PMI Global Forum, Los Angeles Tipu Ake paper 04
Report on Sharing Indigenous Wisdom Conf, Wisconsin, June 04
Int and local visitors attend Tipu Ake Retreat March 04 See report
MPs Horomia and Mallard open our new merged area school Jan 04
Trip to Whaingaroa Env Gp Raglan, Jan04 learnings, VIDEO view