Project Tongariro: Helping Look After Our Land For 30 Years

As the head of a volunteer-based conservation society, Kiri Te Wano is used to making a little go a long way.

The Tongariro Natural History Society, who go by the name ‘Project Tongariro’, rely on a budget of just $65,000 a year to operate. But they manage to turn it into $300,000 to $400,500 worth of conservation outcomes each year.

“We have a small group of highly active and enthusiastic volunteers who live locally and participate frequently,” she says. “Last year we managed about 5000 volunteer hours, which equates to about $87,000 of man hours.”

That effort is all the more impressive considering the Tongariro District’s small population. “One of the things we do to counter this is to offer a varied list of ways to volunteer – from social events such as marshalling, to tree planting days or undertaking predator control.”

Staying On Track

Kiri is one of two part-time paid employees. This year BayTrust has approved a $25,000 grant towards Project Tongariro’s operating costs which will help fund Kiri’s position for the rest of 2015.

“It’s really hard to find funding that’s not tagged to a ‘doing’ project like planting trees. To be able to put money towards overheads or fund a position such as my own is difficult, so we’re really grateful to BayTrust.”

Kiri says the grant would take the pressure off and allow her to focus her energy on the job at hand. “Lots of organisations have fantastic volunteer support but you need a paid person to be ‘the glue’ – to keep everything ticking over, to have systems in place, to record everything, and to help build those relationships.”

Having grown up in Taupo herself, the mother-of-two gets great personal satisfaction from her work, giving back to her environment and community.

Project Tongariro’s Conservation Coordinator, Kiri Te Wano, and her children Lenni, 5, and Maz, 8.

Paying Tribute

The Tongariro Natural History Society is a living memorial to former Land & Survey staff who died in a helicopter crash on Mt Ruapehu 30 years ago.

Keith Blumhardt, Bill Cooper, Derek White and Marie Williams, along with pilot Doug McKenzie, were killed on 9 December 1982 while flying at night near Turoa skifield.

The society was formed in their honour in 1984 to promote a wider knowledge and appreciation of the unique natural heritage, historic, educational and recreational values of Tongariro National Park and the surrounding environment.

Helping Hand

The semi-professional conversation organisation now works in partnership with the Department of Conservation and carries out a number of long-term projects around the district.

A new urban restoration effort called ‘Greening Taupo’ was launched in 2014 and involves local school children.

“It’s about putting kids in charge and essentially doing restoration work around different geothermal areas. They’ll carry out weed control and kill things like broom around sites close to their schools. Then they’ll do restorative planting which will hopefully stop erosion from occurring in future.”

Another major biodiversity project is looking after the Te Matapuna wetland which stretches along SH1 between Taupo and Turangi, and is the largest wetland of its type in the North Island – covering an enormous 1500ha.

Removing invasive willows, re-planting the Waimarino and Waiotaka riverbanks with native species such as ribbonwood and kahikatea, and predator control are the main focus areas, and work has been on-going for the past 11 years.

“Willow is the main problem but the wetlands themselves are quite healthy. We find once we’ve done the willow control work, they bounce back pretty quickly,” Kiri says.

Project Tongariro’s impressive record is largely thanks to the commitment of its 400 members and 250 supporters who contribute their time, money and enthusiasm.

“We’re a great partner of DoC and it’s difficult for them to manage the whole conservation estate by themselves. So we’re proud to have been able to help them do that for the last 30 years.”

ENDS

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