News & Events

Whanaungatanga ki Te Maungarongo o Te Kooti Rikirangi Reserve

On Wednesday the 14^th of June 2023, our Te Puna Waiora o Nukutaurua Kaimahi had the privilege of going to walk and talk with our Whanaunga Kenzie & whanau ki Te Maungarongo o Te Kooti. We were honoured to take part in a traditional Mihi Whakatau where we were offered the responsibility of becoming Kaitiaki o Te Repo if we chose to walk beyond the Pou which holds the Mana of one of the most significant Māori leaders of the 19^th century Te Kooti Rikirangi. By taking on this responsibility and moving beyond the Pou we were able to get a up close and personal view of the beautiful wetlands, the forest and bird life. We were given the ultimate tour of the vast waterways and Whenua.

It was previously known as the Matawhero Wildlife Management Reserve, Te Maungarongo covers 48 hectares of an abandoned oxbow of the Waipaoa River, closed off from the river’s flow in 1948 as part of the Waipaoa Flood Control Scheme. In 2014, the Crown returned ownership of the reserve to the Nga Uri o Te Kooti Rikirangi Trust. Te Maungarongo comprises an important part, he taonga tuku iho, of the cultural, ecological, and socio-economic landscape of Nga Uri o Te Kooti Rikirangi. We were shown all the planting mahi they have done in the past and informed of the importance of releasing of trees, as this saves them from suffocation. We went from one side of the Repo to the other where we were able to get up close and personal with the wetlands. Kenzie and her whanau have plans of turning the whenua where we went into an educational Taiao space, where they will have bird watching stations set up and kayaks available for mid wetlands water testing.

I believe that by going to meet and greet with whanau on their whenua we were able to see and hear first hand of the concerns, challenges, and solutions they have faced. We all learnt a lot during our time with Kenzie and her Whanau and we are very grateful for their Maanakitanga.