Kaitiakitanga

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

7.3.1 Whirinaki Nursery - Project Details:

"Restoring our World"

Description: (See Project Roadmap which identifies milestone dates)

This project involves establishing a native nursery in the valley that will replant the areas previously left cleared by milling operations and start waterway planting for river / lake quality protection. A big problem in the Central North Island lakes. See what needs to be done in our catchment

To pick up the skills needed to get this established we propose asking our friends at Whaingaroa Harbourcare (Raglan) if we can go to work as volunteers with them on their propagation and replanting programme. They also are able to help us with some models for establishing an appropriate Nursery trust or other organisation, as well as protocols for negotiating with Regional Authorities and landowners. We also will visit Hokianga Harbourcare (another Iwi group), Waipoua Forest restoration, Waiheke Island and other river and forest restoration projects to pick up the skills we require

We have taken advantage of the UNITEC Architecture students concept planning project to design and construct this in the left rear of the old forestry depot compound which will become the Whirinaki Centre and be the focus for many Kaitiakitanga Program activities. See proposed nursery site layout

The site provides good nursery facilities including a small sunny admin office / staff room and good covered shed space for storage, secure storage and vehicle garaging, potting and other operations, so that large groups visiting the valley can participate even on rainy days. UNITEC students will help us design and construct new shade and glass houses using mainly local materials. There is good access from here to allow the plant hardening area to grow onto the sunny and less frosty hillside directly behind.

An adjacent building is being refurbished to become the Whirinaki Enterprise Centre which as well as housing, education resources and displays for class teaching and tourist information about the area, will also house a utility space where new enterprises, crafts and other activities can be started, by our youth and community.

We want to encourage what we saw at Raglan; using the nursery and other facilities to provide "hands in the dirt" learning opportunities for school, tourists and other groups visiting the valley. We would like them to have them plant a tree and leave a part of themselves here with it.

The site has other buildings that may also be a base for some of our other planned activities - like recycling, historical forestry museum displays. The large old workshop with overhead gantry may be suitable for future recovery saw milling, log sculpture or similar heavier enterprises.

We have initiated discussions with WINZ, Labour Dept and others to find some innovative ways of employing people for the first year of nursery operation until we have plants available for sale or use. As much of this will involve "just in time" learning our aim is to have people working on this project funded as an approved training / work development programme. Models for this are in operation in Raglan, Hokianga and many other places.

We have made preliminary contact with Environment BOP and others likely to fund initiatives for River restoration and stream protection work in 2005. When this is completed we will be seeking tourist, commercial or contract customers to provide the ongoing income required to support the nursery.

Budget production to support the employment of four people in the nursery would require an income of around $200k per Annum,. or in plant sales terms around 100,000 plants per annum sold at $2 each under supply contracts. This means we require an average daily production rate of around of 500 plants established per day.

Outcomes:

1. A Whirinaki Native Plant brand that will reflect and capitalise on the unique nature of the Whirinaki
2. An Enterprise that will have provided new skills, employment and potential income for the community
3. The community will have developed and regained knowledge of native plants and their propagation
4. A supply of plants to support cleanup and replanting of the Whirinaki River banks ( currently much in weed)
5. A supply of plants to support farm stream purification and filtering
6. A supply of plants for Central North Island river /lake pollution control.
7. A supply of plants for sponsorship planting by visitors in the valley.
8. A supply of plants to allow visitors (above) to be able to purchase one to take home to remind them of Whirinaki
9. People will have extended the nursery thinking to vegetable gardens and also nurturing species that require plants.
10. Learning at the Whirinaki Centre and nursery will be an exciting component of all school retreats to our valley.
11. The Whirinaki Centre and nursery will be a focus / meeting / information / parking point for all visitors to Minginui.
12. Visitors to the nursery will get a hands on learning experience that will help them treasure the local ecology.
13. This could pave the way for establishing a internationally recognised Kaitiakitanga Wananga rooted on our Marae.

Resources:

NZ Ecological Restoration Network http://www.bush.org.nz/
Whaingaroa Harbourcare Raglan. Fred Litchwark, Boyd Dickson
Hokianga Harbourcare Trust, Will and Randell Stensness, Whirinaki , Hokianga
Waiheke Island Atawhai - whenua reserve revegetation project, Don Chapple
Waipoua Forest Trust. - Stephen King

Start Date: July 2004 after ECSD funding for this project was approved in principal.
Expected Completion Milestones:

• By end of September quarter - DELAY to Q 1 2005
  • Nursery facilities available to start growing seedlings
  • Nursery Management and community members selected to establish and operate nursery
• By end of December quarter - DELAY to Q1 2005
  • Nursery Trust / organisation established and operational funding available
  • Nursery operating in interim mode with labour financed under training schemes
  • Funding and Contracts in place for river restoration activities
• By end of April quarter - Delay to Q2/3 2005
  • Production Nursery Operating employing four people with ongoing contracts in place.

Budget: ECSD funds budgeted to cover learning to get people up to speed. We need to organise other funding and contracts to support this venture.

Nominal Project Leader: Currently coordinated by Andy Blick and team

Project Team: Nursery operational team to be established

Issues Register:

Progress Log

NOTICES AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

Our gift to you - download our Free Whirinaki Wall Calendar

"Re-designing our future" youth forum with Michael Braungart - 30 Aug

What Andree a sustainability writer discovered about Kaitiakitanga
Check out our school's Energy Monitoring / Weatherstation project
WEMZ - The Whirinaki Ecological Restoration Zone - a project with DOC
Building our new visitor information kiosk on the main road
Take a photo tour through our valley see restoration work needed
Pending - our Whirinaki Centre, Nursary and Recycling Projects
Celebrate what our friends at Hokianga Harbourcare are doing
Our Network's Mycorestoration Research Project - Fungi and mushroom
Thanks MfE for a big toxin cleanup on our millsites - July 07
Thanks TPK for facilitating Govt support for Minginui initiatives
Our Community Digital Strategy pending - Whirinaki Interactive - Dec 06
Our Lopez friends help Raglan initiate an affordable housing program
Prince Andrew adopts our Kiwi, Princess Beatrice on Mokoia Is Mar 07
Our Project to upgrade our water supply in Minginui 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