A partnership agreement to protect the delicate ecosystems and endangered species of the Kaipara catchment, an area of global ecological significance, was signed into effect today between its key partners Te Uri o Hau, Te Roroa, Ngā Maunga Whakahii, Auckland Council, Northland Regional Council, and the Department of Conservation.

The historic agreement was signed at Te Hana Te Ao Marama Marae, a significant cultural place that reflects commitment to community-driven conservation.

The initial aim of the partnership, named Puawai ki Kaipara, is to rid the five pivotal peninsulas (105,000 hectares) encircling the Kaipara Harbour of pest animals, including possums, rats, stoats, weasels, ferrets, pigs, and feral cats. The project then plans to extend into the entire Kaipara catchment area – an additional 543,000 hectares.

The area's delicate ecosystems provide refuge for many endangered species, including the tara iti (fairy tern), mātātā (North Island fernbird), and kiwi. The coastal dunes and dune lakes along the western coast provide habitat for matuku-hūrepo (Australasian bittern), moho pererū (banded rail), tūturiwhatu (New Zealand dotterel), and other species.

Kaipara Moana is a migratory bird habitat of international significance. Rare species, such as the kuaka (bar-tailed godwit), use the harbour for feeding in summer before returning to the northern hemisphere to breed, while the wetland areas provide feeding and roosting grounds for migratory waders.

Auckland Council Policy and Planning Committee Chair, Councillor Richard Hills says the support Auckland Council is providing Poipoia Te Kākano will help align community and council activities on this important environmental initiative.

“Poipoia Te Kākano is about working together for the protection of the special ecosystems inhabited by many endangered indigenous species that are pressured by introduced pest animals,” Cr Hills says.

“This initiative will focus on predator control, restoring native species and protecting an ecological sanctuary that acts as a haven for migratory birdlife from all over the world, and as nature’s corridor between Auckland and Northland. What we do to protect this precious area has a flow-on effect for other ecologically significant areas in Aotearoa,” he says.

Auckland Council General Manager Environmental Services Samantha Hill says the partnership represents a shared goal to protect ecosystems and species that are profoundly important.

“The dunes, lakes and the surrounding forest and wetlands are of cultural and ecological significance to so many. As caretakers of the natural environment, we have a collective responsibility to protect and restore it, and the taonga species that live within it,” she says.

“We are uniting in this partnership to align our efforts and resources so that we can make a lasting impact, by working together to more effectively control a range of pest animals that threaten this taonga.”

Poipoia Te Kākano Project Lead Victoria Kurupō comments, “Our combined partnership has emerged from one united goal: to combat the predator invasions threatening the region's biodiversity, and reflects our guiding philosophy, embodied in the whakatauki "Poipoia te Kākano, Kia Puāwai”, meaning "Nurture the seed and it will blossom”.

"Our work is deeply rooted in the principles of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and mātauranga (traditional knowledge). This initiative is about creating a sustainable future for both our environment and our communities," she says.

“With support from Predator Free 2050 Ltd, we have made significant strides in assessing and planning our predator elimination strategies, and an intensive feasibility study has guided us in identifying the needs of each peninsula.”

Ms Kurupō adds that the initial focus on the five Kaipara Peninsulas - Poutō, Hukatere (Tinopai), Puketōtara (Ōneriri), Ōkahukura (Tāporapora), and Te Korowai o Tonga (South Head) is inspired by the legendary taniwha Pokopoko Whiti te Rā.

Kia Puawai ki Kaipara (the partnership) is a Kaipara Uri-led, Tiriti o Waitangi partnership comprising Te Uri o Hau, Ngā Maunga Whakahii, Te Roroa, Auckland Council, Northland Regional Council, and the Department of Conservation. It is one of two Māori-led Predator Free 2050 projects in Auckland.

© Scoop Media