“If we can’t provide that, we’re just doing mahi – and this is more than that to us,” Wanikau said. It’s not just a three-dimensional thing, it’s a full-dimensional thing. We make sure they know every story: the stories of Te Ririō, the stories of Aorangi, the stories of every one of the kaitiaki. “When our boys go hunting, they know every hunting place in this area. There’s a reason why we do that mahi – it’s not just the land, there’s a story that goes with it and we will do everything we can to associate the mahi with that story. This isn’t just a physical thing to us, it’s not just physically upholding the mana and the mauri of the environment. “The exciting thing for us is that mahi can’t be done without the story. Wanikau said the restoration work will celebrate the significance of the land and the stories that go with it. Hikairo’s connection to this area isn’t an academic connection, it’s a connection of at-place occupation and association, and so this project, being acknowledged as the kaitiaki of these places, reconnects us in a meaningful way.” “This is the place we celebrate our living, this is the place we mourn our mate. Hikairo are a hapū of Ngāti Tūwharetoa but in the area around the mountains, at Te Pōrere and all these places at the foot of the mountains on the northern side, Hikairo have been the at-place hapū from the time of Tāmure, which is over 25 generations ago. “This project means everything to Ngāti Hikairo. He said it includes “emotional, spiritual and cultural connection” for the people who have lived in the area for hundreds of years. Ngāti Tūwharetoa spokesperson Te Ngaehe Wanikau said the work goes beyond an environmental connection with the land. “The project, supported by a $542,000 Jobs for Nature investment across three years, marries tikanga, Te Ao Māori and mātauranga Māori with western science and environmental and conservation tools, which will in turn support engagement between Tūwharetoa and government agencies,” the minister said. “The work being undertaken in this visually stunning area – including restoration planting using appropriate native species and pest and weed control – is fully consistent with the area’s special values,” Allan said. Other sites will benefit from extensive riparian planting to better manage run-off and improve water quality in rivers and streams. Conservation Minister Kiri Allan announced half a million dollars of Jobs for Nature funding for the project on Tuesday.
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