Project Outline

This project focuses on restoring native ngahere at Huiarua through possum control and community led environmental mahi. The objective is to regenerate the ngahere into a thriving, biodiverse ecosystem while strengthening whānau connection to whenua and building long term kaitiakitanga. It brings together environmental restoration and community wellbeing, creating lasting impact for both the ngahere and the people connected to it.

It aims to learn what possum control methods are most effective within our ngahere at Huiarua, including comparing ground based traps, elevated AT220 traps, and night shooting. It aims to understand what works best in our terrain, how often traps need servicing, and what approach gives the best results over time.
The group will learn how to monitor impact in a simple, practical way by tracking catch data, observing birdlife, and seeing changes in vegetation and regeneration. Another key learning is how to engage whānau and rangatahi in consistent, hands on mahi, building confidence, skills, and long term kaitiakitanga.

Key activities include installing and maintaining trap lines targeting possums. This includes ground based possum traps set along trap lines and checked regularly, alongside elevated self resetting traps such as AT220 traps. Night shooting is also used to reduce possum numbers and relieve pressure on the ngahere to support regeneration.

A major milestone will be the delivery of ten wānanga across the year, bringing whānau, rangatahi and community members onto the whenua for hands on learning, trap servicing and restoration mahi.

Additional milestones include ongoing monitoring of birdlife and vegetation recovery, along with tracking pest catch data to understand what methods are most effective.

Support for this project includes land access, accommodation, and pest control support provided by INGKA.
Te Kura ā Iwi o Waikirikiri provides transport, fuel, and student involvement.
Te Kura o Mata supports participation in wānanga and learning on the whenua.
Additional support includes volunteer labour from whānau and community members contributing to trapping, monitoring, and delivery of wānanga.

Project Outcomes

Five wānanga have been delivered to date. These have included two whānau groups, two groups of tamariki who Oranga Tamariki have been working with, and an AOD wānanga for whānau from the coast.

85 possums have been culled so far. The five AT220 traps have recorded 44 possums, foothold trapping has caught 13 possums over eight trapping sessions, and 28 possums have been shot over five night shooting sessions. 

One of the challenges has been learning where the AT220 traps work best. Some traps have been much more successful than others and there is ongoing learning about placement and how best to use them in the Ōrua, Huiarua environment. With support from the landowners, Malcolm Rutherford will be coming to Ōrua to provide advice, and an experienced professional possum trapper will also be visiting in November to help us look at where the traps are positioned and how we can improve our results.

Te Kura a iwi o Waikirikiri and Te Kura o Mata have also been actively involved in the kaupapa visiting Ōrua most weeks.

Project Reflections

The biggest impact of the LFTL funding has been that it has allowed us to open Huiarua up to more whānau, rangatahi, community groups and people who whakapapa to the whenua. 

Before receiving the funding we often had people asking if they could come to Huiarua for this type of experience, but we did not have the capacity or resources to support those requests. The funding has meant we have been able to provide food, coordination, equipment, and practical support so that these groups can come onto the whenua and take part in the kaupapa. 

It has allowed us to bring together two important parts of the project, caring for the ngahere and caring for people. Whānau are able to connect with the whenua and taiao while also learning about trapping, pest control and kaitiakitanga. 

We have now delivered five of the ten planned wānanga, with the remaining five being organised. We have had further requests from Mauria Te Pono Trust to bring a rangatahi rōpū to Ōrua, more AOD whānau from the coast, and Te Kura Correspondence School. 

With the roads now in much better condition, we are looking forward to being able to host more of these groups over summer. Our new bridge should be opening in Feb/March 2027 and we hope to bring the community to Ōrua to share this kaupapa wider. 

The funding has also helped us put consistent possum pest control into action. Removing 85 possums so far is a practical outcome that we can measure, while at the same time we are learning which trapping methods work best for our ngahere. It is also rewarding to see some new growth of plants especially pikopiko and hear some bird song when only a few months ago there was nothing. We are still trying to source some deer fencing for a small area of Ōrua and hope to have this in place in the next month.  

Overall, the funding has helped us create more opportunities for people to connect with the whenua, learn practical kaitiakitanga and contribute to restoring the ngahere at Ōrua, Huiarua. Pre-and post-programme Te Whare Tapa Whā wellbeing assessments are completed with all participants who visit Ōrua. To date, 100% of participants assessed have demonstrated an improvement in overall wellbeing outcomes, showing a consistent positive shift from entry to completion.