The Kaimai Mamaku forests and catchments cover almost 300,000 hectares across the Bay of Plenty and Waikato and are home to over 500 native species of plants, birds, frogs, bats and invertebrates – but large-scale canopy collapse is a very real threat.

The forests are experiencing ongoing serious degradation due to the impact of browsers, predators, pathogens and pest plants. Birds such as kiwi, weka, whio, hīhī, and tīeke are no longer found here, and many species that remain face significant threats from predators, degraded habitats and climate change.

And it’s not just native species that will suffer. An unhealthy forest will increase the impact of flooding, sedimentation and erosion as our climate changes. Bay of Plenty communities and industries rely heavily on the Kaimai Mamaku forests for clean water supplies from rivers and springs, and for regulating flood flows and controlling erosion. If the forest canopy collapsed and erosion disrupted those supplies and infrastructure, it would have devastating consequences.

That’s why widespread pest control efforts are now underway and crucial funding is being sought from private businesses, local government and community funders such as BayTrust.

Filling A Funding Gap

Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku (MKM) is a charitable trust that manages the Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project (KMRP) which brings together iwi, hapū, agencies, stakeholders, communities and investors with an interest in the Kaimai Mamaku ngahere and its catchments.

BayTrust is currently co-funding five iwi-hapū project teams, each of whom are undertaking pest and predator control in different areas within the forests. Over the past three years, $300,000 has been granted by BayTrust and a further $25,000 has just been announced for Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuara’s ‘Te Whakamaru o Horohoro’ project which is working to protect the long-tailed pekapeka (bat), kākā and kōkako by eradicating feral cats, rats, possums and stoats.

Other KMRP co-funders include TECT, Jobs for Nature, Department of Conservation, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Waikato Regional Council, Rotorua Trust and Tiakina Kauri.

Originally funded through Jobs For Nature (which was set to end in June 2024), co-funding has ensured these iwi-hapū led conservation projects extend until at least late-2025.

MKM CEO, Louise Saunders, says the extended duration has significant benefits for biodiversity and enabling iwi-hapū to exercise kaitiakitanga (guardianship). “The BayTrust funding was a clear acknowledgement of the value of collaborative funding, mana whenua working in te Taiao, and the pressing need to continue the work started by Jobs For Nature. We are fortunate to have a huge conservation community in the Bay of Plenty but few mana whenua projects, so BayTrust’s support of five iwi-led conservation projects is very special,” Louise says.

Waging War On Pests

BayTrust’s investment is already paying dividends as initial monitoring data has shown what a big difference pest control can make.

Ngāi Tamawhariua’s ‘Te Maire 2021’ project team has now finished installing trap and bait station lines over 1000ha at Aongatete. “This team also completed their first toxin operation in late 2023, which saw rat density decline from 42% to 2%. This was a great result for their first operation, which will be consolidated with a second toxin round over the next few months.”

A kōkako survey carried out in late 2023 by Ngamanawa’s ‘Ngā Mata Hiringa’ project team showed that the Opuiaki kōkako population has increased from 19 pairs and six territorial singles in 2021 to 23 pairs and eight singles in 2023.

Meanwhile, Ngāti Kearoa Ngāti Tuara’s ‘Te Whakamaru o Horohoro’ project has installed over 1300ha of pest control infrastructure and has completed their third season of pekapeka monitoring. Identifing where these bats are in the project area helps the team to refine their pest control programme.

Louise says it takes 2-3 years for projects to recruit and train teams, deploy pest control infrastructure, build capability and capacity to professional effectiveness, and progress to project expansion. “Without co-funding, our teams would have been approaching professional proficiency only for funding to end. With financial support from BayTrust and other funding partners, the investment in developing highly skilled teams will not be lost and will benefit te Taiao and our entire community.”

Call For Business To Step Up

Jobs for Nature was game-changing as it resourced iwi and hapū to build capability and deliver pest control projects on Māori land and public conservation land where they are mana whenua.

This resulted in kaimahi (workers) returning home, reconnecting with whenua, re-building connections to whakapapa, extending their mātauranga, and realising aspirations to be kaitiaki.

One of the main challenges now that Jobs for Nature has largely finished, is keeping the momentum going. “The current funding model [for conservation] is broken,” Louise explains. “The government and councils can’t afford the full cost of the restoration needed to reverse biodiversity loss and make ecosystems resilient to climate change. The philanthropy sector shouldn’t be expected to fill the gap and donations shift the cost to an already-stretched community. The funding model needs to be completely re-thought. And businesses need to be part of the solution,” Louise explains.

Surveys show 66% of Kiwis think businesses are not doing enough to reduce environmental impacts, and 82% of businesses want to do the right thing for nature.

MKM is meeting both of these needs by providing businesses with a transparent way of investing directly into impactful local projects. “We are not putting a price on nature,” Louise explains. “An investment in the KMRP will contribute to the actual cost of the people, processes and technology needed to maintain and restore the Kaimai Mamaku, an essential natural asset.”

MKM are currently piloting the KMRP investment model, and Bay of Plenty businesses are invited to register their interest by emailing info@mkm.org.nz.