Mangapārae Papakāinga Trust
Mangapārae Papakāinga Trust korero
Vision – Moemoeā
To restore the mauri of our whenua and uplift the wellbeing of whānau through culturally grounded, intergenerational healing practices that strengthen identity, belonging, relationship, and hauora.
We aspire to a future where:
Whānau are grounded in whakapapa and cultural knowledge
Māmā, pāpā and pēpi thrive in connected, healthy environments
Rangatahi learn their history and inherit strong cultural foundations
Our whenua is healed, nourished, and regenerating
Our papakāinga is a living centre of mātauranga, creativity, and collective wellbeing
Our lived experience informs us that maintaining a relationship with whenua, "putting our hands in the soil" and doing the work of whanaungatanga, is a protective factor even when it seems too hard.
Mangapārae Papakāinga Trust is a whānau-community led, rōpū whakapapa to Ngā Uri O Urikore Tamanui and made up of local Taiao kaitiaki, educators, creators, innovators, researchers, and community leaders. The Trust is led by Dr Virginia Tamanui and Sjimmy Fransen , and its wider kaupapa is supported by Mangatū Marae and connects into the Whātātūtū community. Volunteers are from the community and wider whanau.
Mangapārae Papakāinga Trust is guided by their vision of “a flourishing whenua, a flourishing people.” This reflects a commitment to restoring the health of the land as the foundation for the wellbeing of whānau and future generations. The words of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki, who prophesied the erosion of the Mangatū lands, continue to resonate with our whānau.
Today, we understand this as a call to action, highlighting the need for kaitiakitanga and healing in response to the impacts of land loss, deforestation and the long-term mismanagement of our whenua and waterways. These impacts have not only degraded the land but have also disrupted our connection to mātauranga Māori and our inherited responsibilities as kaitiaki. Through this whānau-led restoration project, we seek to reclaim and revitalise that knowledge, restoring both the whenua, waterways and our relationship with it. This work is about more than environmental repair, it is about re-establishing our ways of knowing and being, strengthening intergenerational connection, and demonstrating our enduring commitment to the wellbeing and flourishing of both the land, waters and our people.
Mangapārae is now a haven for endangered species and supports native fish, birds, and other wildlife populations.
Supporters / Sponsors
Trees That Count/Project Crimson
Sunrise Foundation
Gisborne District Council
World Wildlife NZ (WWF)
Predator Free NZ
Lottery NZ
LFTL
Eastern and Central Community Trust
Tuhi Tuhi Communications - ( www.takoa.co.nz )
News / Media
Mangapārae Papakāinga Trust online
Historical Milestones and Events
Since commencing its environmental restoration programme in 2017, Mangapārae Papakāinga Trust has transformed a degraded wetland, into a thriving ecological and cultural landscape through sustained community leadership, volunteer effort, and strong hapū/community partnerships. Guided by a wetland restoration plan and supported by agencies including Gisborne District Council, WWF New Zealand, MPI and the Ministry for the Environment, the Trust has planted more than 14,000 native trees—including 3,000 kahikatea and 1,000 tōtara, with over 90% survival through ongoing pest control and maintenance. Community wānanga have strengthened local environmental knowledge, supported ecological planning, and revitalised mātauranga Māori through initiatives such as hapū mapping of waterways and kāinga, raranga wānanga, and eDNA species monitoring. Restoration efforts have enabled the successful reintroduction of weka, contributed to significant increases in native bird populations and an opportunity for tuna and other fisheries to be reestablished, with Mangapārae now providing important habitat for endangered species while enhancing the ecological health of the connected Mangatū and Waipaoa river catchments.
Leading from the Land -
Project Case study
Project Outline
This project is a learning and action initiative designed to deepen understanding of how local hapū and community-informed mātauranga and best-practice science can be integrated to restore wetland systems and tuna pathways within a working rural landscape, surrounded by forestry and cattle farming… and lots of uncontrolled invasive pests.
The aim is to learn which restoration approaches are most effective for improving fish/tuna passage, water quality, and wetland function, including how different native planting species perform across varying conditions and how hydrological interventions (e.g. clearing blockages and reshaping waterways) influence ecological outcomes
The projects also seeks to understand how to effectively engage whānau, hapū, landowners, and primary sector partners in a collaborative, catchment-based approach. This includes learning what supports behaviour change around riparian management, stock exclusion, and long-term stewardship.
Importantly, the project will strengthen understanding of how wānanga-based, community-led approaches can build capability, restore mātauranga, and support intergenerational kaitiakitanga.
These learnings will inform future restoration work and contribute to a scalable model applicable across our wider Rohe and similar environments. A long-term aspiration is to measure and understand the effects on the well-being of the community and its people, as well as the taiao.
Whakaora i ngā Huarahi Tuna is a three-stage, whānau-led restoration project to reconnect tuna pathways from the Mangapārae wetland to the Waipaoa River while strengthening community capability and environmental resilience.
The project builds on almost 10 years of mahi, over 13,000 native plantings, and strong partnerships with neighbouring landowners. It will deliver restored fish passage, improved water quality, and a scalable, community-led model that integrates mātauranga Māori with science to support long-term environmental and social wellbeing.
Fostering the collective well-being of Tairāwhiti Catchments
