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Ngā Tangata o te Marama
Te Poari Newton and
the Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust
Te Tira Whakamātaki has started a new series of social media posts titled 'Ngā tangata o te marama'. These will involve regularly profiling a handful of awesome people doing cool stuff for the environment and working in our communities to create a better Aotearoa for all.
This post features not only an amazing person, Te Poari Newton, but also a fantastic rōpū (group), the Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust.
In the heart of Aotearoa New Zealand's Kaimai Mamaku region, Te Poari Newton stands as a steadfast guardian of his ancestral lands. With his whānau beside him, his voice carries not just the weight of responsibility but a profound respect for the treasured whenua he and his people call home. For Te Poari, the fight against invasive pests isn't just about protecting biodiversity and our country's taonga; it's about restoring a connection severed through colonisation.
Here, we share the story of Te Poari and the Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust.
Ko wai koe? No hea koe?
Who are you? Where are you from?
Name: Te Poari Newton
Waka: Te Arawa
Iwi: Ngāti Tura Ngāti Te Ngākau, Ngāti Whakaue
Home Base: Ngongotahā
Favourite food: All Kai!
Kōrero mai mō ō mahi?
Tell us about your work?
Te Poari, a proud member of Ngāti Tura Ngāti Te Ngakau, is based in Ngongotahā, a small settlement on the western shores of Lake Rotorua. He leads efforts to manage the Kaimai Mamaku region as part of the Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust, covering almost 200,000 hectares of native forests across the Bay of Plenty and Waikato. Te Poari and his team of kaitiaki embody a holistic approach to conservation deeply rooted in mātauranga Māori.
“Keeping our tikanga in place, our kawa, as a people, is crucial”, he says, emphasising the significance of community and cultural continuity in their pest management strategies.
Their journey began with an effort to reclaim their land from an infestation of pests, mostly possums and rats. After many years of lobbying the Department of Conservation for better control of their rohe, the Trust secured a $19 million investment through the Jobs for Nature initiative (in 2020). Te Poari and his team mobilised swiftly; their mission was to eradicate pests, train their people, and empower the wider community through reconnection with the whenua. They were given three years, with a target to manage a land block of 60,000 hectares from which their people had been segregated for over 120 years.
Over the following years, the team trapped 50,000 pests, which they consider a success despite initially setting the bar at double that number. “It was important that we set the bar high”, says Te Poari, acknowledging the monumental task ahead of them.
Central to their success has been viewing pest management through a modern lens of innovation and collaboration. This involved approaching things differently from what had been done in the past: firstly, transitioning from traditional leg-hold traps with bait stations to lighter, more effective systems, as well as introducing concepts such as eDNA, ensuring minimal environmental impact. “We set traps strategically along 'highways' rather than saturating the forest, reducing disturbance to our whenua”, explains Te Poari. This method not only targets pests more efficiently but also allows for the holistic observation of the forest's health.
Although the Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust was formed in 2009, it was re-structured in 2019 into a co-governance entity with six Māori and five community trustees, as well as having Māori and community co-chairs. Collectively, the Trustees represent numerous iwi-hapū, Bay of Plenty and Waikato communities and have interests across a wide range of stakeholder groups. This model has provided multiple benefits, says Te Poari, including nurturing long-term relationships such as that with Rotorua Canopy Tours, who assist with the task of pest management, having caught close to 2000 rats to date.
Working within the wider Ngongotahā community has brought untold benefits to the shared vision of restoring the Kaimai Mamaku region, not least upholding respectful and meaningful collaboration.
Te Poari fondly recalls the unlikely partnership with Bob Cooper, an elder from Tauranga who is passionate about entomology. Through Bob’s persistence in sharing his knowledge about the importance of bugs, they were able to identify new species of bugs and even named the newly found ‘H’ bug in 2023, which had previously gone undiscovered for over 25 million years. This collaboration exemplifies how diverse knowledge systems can converge for environmental stewardship.
However, challenges persist, notably in securing funding. With the Jobs for Nature fund having ended, Te Poari laments the bureaucratic hurdles Māori-led initiatives face: “We have to constantly prove ourselves capable and able to work together, often navigating unfamiliar administrative landscapes.” Despite these challenges, he remains optimistic, espousing the increasing wider support for initiatives demonstrating environmental, social and cultural benefits.
Te Poari knows that their work creates an impact that extends beyond conservation, revitalising cultural identity and enhancing community well-being. “Walking on our whenua rebuilds us as a tribe, as a people”, he says. This sentiment resonates deeply within his team because it highlights the intrinsic link between the health and prosperity of Papatūānuku (Mother Earth) and that of the people who inhabit her.
Looking forward, Te Poari envisions a future where their efforts serve as a sustainable conservation model rooted in Indigenous wisdom. He challenges those looking for future funding to learn from their methods by judging them, not by their words, but by their achievements: “Judge us for what we do, what we have achieved.”
"Walking on our whenua rebuilds us as a tribe, as a people"
“This work is not just about pest eradication; it is about social licence”
"We do this to save lives, not for our livelihood"
Te Poari Newton
Through their actions, grounded in te ao Māori, Te Poari and the Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust continue to forge a path towards abundance in the Kaimai Mamaku. Abundance that ultimately allows people to thrive.
Their story is nowhere near finished. Yes, they need more money to keep improving the health of the Kaimai Mamaku. Another $19 million would be great, but $1.3 million would be a starter for the 150,000 hectares of land Te Poari is deeply connected to. However, like other Māori conservation groups that have lost Jobs for Nature funding, they need to reassess their next steps and how they hold the line.
Part of that reassessment involves actively working to widen their scope of work and share their knowledge, lessons, and stories with others. They hope to create new collaborations to draw attention to the ongoing work needed to continue this critical work and work across the motu (country).
“This work is not just about pest eradication; it is about social licence”, says Te Poari, adding, “We do this to save lives, not for our livelihood”.
In a world where we are all increasingly aware of the fragility of our ecosystems, Te Poari Newton’s story reminds us of the power of collaborative, community-driven conservation efforts and of the innovation we find at place and with communities.
It is a reminder that when nature and culture align, the results can be transformative for future generations.
Ake, Ake, Ake
As long as it takes,
we will be here