Nearly 2000 kauri seedlings have been planted across five sites in the Waitākere Ranges, representing a major milestone for the protection and restoration of one of Auckland’s most treasured forests.
The seedlings were propagated from seeds collected from healthy kauri in the Waitākere Ranges as part of the Healthy Trees, Healthy Future programme led by Scion now part of the Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao. The seedlings were then carefully nurtured at the institute’s Rotorua nursery before being returned to their ancestral home.
Their return marks a hopeful new chapter after years of work to protect the forest from kauri dieback, bringing together mana whenua, scientists, Auckland Council staff and volunteers to help secure a future for kauri in Te Wao Nui o Tiriwā
The Bioeconomy Science Institute’s Restoring and Protecting the Mauri of Te Waonui a Tāne portfolio lead, Katerina Pihera-Ridge, says the return of Te Kawerau ā Maki kauri seedlings is the culmination of years of science and partnership with mana whenua.
"Kauri are tuakana, ancient species that have nurtured forest ecosystems and people for centuries. Through this mana whenua and science partnership, we have worked to better understand Phytophthora agathidicida and kauri resilience.
“Together, we have repatriated healthy kauri to their home in the ngahere, helping restore populations that have declined since colonisation to contribute to a future where these taonga species thrive for generations to come."
Auckland Council’s General Manager Environmental Services Samantha Hill says the project will also provide valuable scientific insights into the future health of kauri.
“This project represents an important step forward in our efforts to better understand and protect kauri from the impacts of Phytophthora agathidicida.
“Through ongoing monitoring in natural forest conditions, we will gain valuable insights into how these trees respond and adapt over time.
“Their return home to Te Wao Nui o Tiriwā is a significant milestone. We have greatly valued partnering with Te Kawerau ā Maki and the Bioeconomy Science Institute to help safeguard these iconic trees and support the long-term health of the ngahere for future generations,” she says.
The planting is part of Te Kāwai Kauri, a kaupapa involving mana whenua Te Kawerau ā Maki, Auckland Council and scientific partners to protect the whakapapa of Waitākere kauri.
For Te Kawerau ā Maki, the seedlings represent more than a restoration project.
Chief Executive Edward Ashby says the young trees are returning to their ancestral home.
“These are not simply seedlings. They carry the whakapapa of the kauri of Te Wao Nui o Tiriwā and they are coming home to their whenua.
“The origin of this project was simple: to recloak the land with healthy kauri as a way to heal the mauri of the land hurt by kauri dieback and by successive storms, and to bring people together in the spirit of kaitiakitanga and friendship to plant the next generation of trees that we hope will grow to 1000-year-old giants,” he says.
“For Te Kawerau ā Maki, kauri are rangatira, chiefly trees, and living tūpuna. Their wellbeing is inseparable from the wellbeing of the forest and from our own identity as mana whenua.
“The return is incredibly meaningful. It gives us hope that, alongside the protection and healing of the forest, we can once again see kauri establishing themselves here for the generations who come after us.”
Councillor Richard Hills, Chair of Auckland Council’s Policy, Planning and Development Committee, says the planting shows what is possible when different generations, organisations and communities come together around a shared responsibility for the ngahere.
“There is something incredibly powerful about seeing the young kauri return home.
“For years, the focus has been on protecting the kauri we have and slowing the spread of kauri dieback. That work continues, but these seedlings give us hope, and a tangible investment in the future of the forest.
“These trees will outlive all of us, which makes what we are doing today particularly special,” says Cr Hills.
Kauri dieback has been one of the biggest threats facing New Zealand’s forests including the Waitākere Ranges in recent decades. The pathogen attacks kauri roots, preventing the trees from taking up water and nutrients. There is no known cure, and the pathogen can be spread through contaminated soil.
Through the Natural Environment Targeted Rate, Auckland Council has invested heavily in reducing the risk of kauri dieback spreading and protecting healthy kauri. The work in the Waitākere Ranges, undertaken in partnership with Te Kawerau ā Maki and with approaches that respect the rāhui placed over the forest by Te Kawerau ā Maki in 2018, includes upgrading tracks to kauri-safe standards, installing and improving hygiene stations, monitoring and surveillance, scientific research, public education, compliance and closing high-risk tracks. Auckland Council and Te Kawerau ā Maki have also worked together on long-term kauri health monitoring.
The Waitākere Ranges Regional Park contains one of the region’s largest remaining areas of indigenous vegetation and is home to a significant population of kauri.
The return of the seedlings does not mean the threat of kauri dieback is over. Protecting healthy kauri, reducing the movement of contaminated soil and maintaining kauri-safe practices remain critical to the future of the forest.
These seedlings are now part of the Waitākere landscape, carrying forward the whakapapa of the healthy kauri that came before them and giving future generations the chance to stand beneath their descendants.