Spiritual and religious connections are thoroughly influential in conservation and restoration action on Taranaki Maunga, according to a recently published PHD. Michaela Richards spent 2021 volunteering on Taranaki Maunga and carrying out research including 50 in-depth interviews with TMP kaimahi, recreationalists and others examining the relationship between religion and conservation in Aotearoa. The research used…
New technology being trialled within Te Papa Kura o Taranaki is helping make trapping predators easier and more targeted in tricky terrain. The technology, by Auckland company Encounter Solutions, is being used on the western side of Kaitake, which is steep terrain with radio interference and no cellphone coverage. The trial works with a network…
A digital tool that guides native habitat restoration is helping inform a landscape restoration project in Taranaki to make bigger gains. Eco-index, a research programme established by New Zealand’s Biological Heritage National Science Challenge, has developed a science-based tool for working out the best places to target restoration efforts, such as native plantings. Eco-index recently delivered their…
Whitikau Rio only ventured on Taranaki Maunga a few times with his whānau when he was growing up in South Taranaki. The last two years as an apprentice ranger with Taranaki Mounga Project has turned that around, reconnecting him with the maunga, where he’s out and about on most days. Whitikau (of Ngā Rauru, Ngā Ruahinerangi, Ngāti Ruanui)…
A day in the life of ranger/pou atawhai Tāne Houston on Radio NZ’s Country Life programme today. Reporter Sally Round interviews Tāne out and about on Taranaki Maunga. A great listen! https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/countrylife/audio/2018934992/mt-taranaki-ranger-tane-houston-we-let-the-forest-talk-for-itself
Taranaki Mounga is proud to have partnered with strategic philanthropists NEXT. From 2014 to 2024, NEXT have invested more than $100 million in support of environment, education and strategic philanthropy in Aotearoa New Zealand. Take a read of their review looking back over the past 10 years as their organisation sunsets. Annette and Neil and…
Kiwi release season is in full swing with 34 kiwi having been released on Taranaki Maunga, with many more to come. Over the next two months more than 100 kiwi are expected to be released at various sites across Taranaki Maunga. A ceremony at Stratford Mountain House on March 21 marked the first kiwi release…
Relationships are key to providing the right environment for relocating larger numbers of kiwi from Maungatautari Sanctuary to Taranaki Maunga. Our recent wānanga with Ngāti Koroki Kahukura and Maungatautari whānau was about connecting and building strong relationships across iwi, hapū and taiao groups. https://youtu.be/kb8y342flZE
From helping out to now organising things, Mereana Hanrahan feels she’s come a long way in her apprentice journey. “My knowledge has grown in so many ways – from operating a GPS, reading the land and identifying trees and manu. At the moment I’m organising our crew for monitoring toutouwai, and when I first started…
A feisty kiwi has been returned to Kaitake Ranges after an adventure across paddocks and past houses. Taranaki Kiwi Trust staff and volunteers have been monitoring the kiwi, along with other kiwi who were relocated to Taranaki Maunga in April this year as part of Taranaki Mounga Project’s kiwi programme. Six months after arriving on…
Taranaki Maunga has native vegetation in the best condition in the country, according to a renowned ecologist. Professor Bruce Clarkson, from the University of Waikato, said Te Papakura o Taranaki had the highest quality of vegetation compared with national parks across Aotearoa, excluding fenced sanctuaries, and covering a substantial area of 33,500 hectares. “We have…
The signing of Te Ruruku Pūtakeronga, the collective deed of redress for Taranaki Maunga, was a momentous occasion on Friday, September 1, 2023. The agreement between the Crown and iwi of Taranaki includes a Crown apology, the recognition of Taranaki Maunga as a legal person, Māori names restored and co-governed management of the national park,…
