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In the media: Iwi-led conservation project delivers win for kōkako

An iwi-led conservation project in the Kaimai Mamaku Forest has recorded zero rat activity across more than 700ha of native bush.The result is wide-reaching in its benefits for native wildlife, in particular, the chances of a successful North Island kōkako breeding season.The North Island kōkako is a native bird with slate-grey plumage and distinctive blue wattles under its beak, and is known to sing for over an hour, the longest duet of any songbird in the world.But predation from introduced ...

Native Afforestation Workshops Success

In mid February, native forest enthusiasts in both Bay of Plenty and Waikato learnt about Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) from Dr Adam Forbes.Dr Forbes is a senior ecologist with extensive professional experience in applied ecology, natural resource management and ecological research. Most recently he published a paper on how to use mature pine plantations while transitioning to native forest. Now, he travels New Zealand, sharing his knowledge with passionate and professional conservationist...

January 2026 Pānui

The first few weeks of 2026 started with a bang! Among many other things, we’ve got straight into eDNA data analysis, finalised funding applications, and we even managed to spend the day with Wairere Mahi and an RNZ podcaster.We’ll keep you updated as all of these projects progress.In the meantime, it’s your last chance to register for the Natural Afforestation Workshops in February....

Pānui 12 | Hakihea December 2025

Grab a kaputī and learn about what’s happening in the Kaimai Mamaku.This month, we announce an international partnership to launch Nature Credits for the Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project, Te Whakamaru o Horohoro are featured in the latest Our Place Magazine, and registrations are now open for workshops in both Tauranga and Te Aroha.Read the newsletter now....

Hopeful breeding season for kōkako

To support a successful kōkako breeding season, rats must be below 5%. In November 2025, Tapuika achieved 0% - meaning no rat prints were identified in any of their tracking tunnels after the two-month bait laying operation.Te Taiao Kaimahi, Richie Emery, says "We're grateful we were able to make a big impact this year, and knowing we've given the manu and the ngahere a chance to thrive".Te Wao Nui o Tapuika aspire to restore the relict population of kōkako within Te Takapū o Tapuika, the bel...

How Ngāti Tumutumu use photopoints for monitoring

Tumutumu Kaitiaki te Taiao, environmental restoration project of Ngāti Tumutumu, are using photopoints as part of their monitoring programme to track their positive environmental impact over time.The team have around 50 photopoints at the base of Mt Te Aroha, where weeds are most likely to enter the ngahere from private land. These photopoints offer a representative sample of the total 600-hectare project area which includes more than 1,000 pest plant sites. Project Manager, Aaron Taylor, ...

In the media: Nature Credits Drive NZ Restoration

Media veteran Mike McRoberts talked to our CEO Louise Saunders about our new Nature Credits partnership with Boffa Miskell and CreditNature.Read the full story by Mike McRoberts on NBR now (paywalled)....

Putting Nature on the Balance Sheet

From 2026, 80% of Aotearoa New Zealand’s exports will go to countries requiring ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) reporting, including four of our five largest trading partners. This raises the bar for accountability for businesses to align environmental stewardship with commercial strategy.In response, leading international Nature Credits provider CreditNature, New Zealand environmental consultancy Boffa Miskell, and Bay of Plenty-based conservation non-profit Manaaki Kaimai ...

Pānui 11 | Whiringa-ā-rangi November 2025

Grab a kaputī and learn about what’s happening in the Kaimai Mamaku.This month, you’re invited to a native afforestation workshop with Dr Adam Forbes, Tapuika achieved 0% rats after their toxin operation and we celebrated Louise’s nomination at the Sustainable Business Network Award’s night.Read the full newsletter now....

Register now: Natural Forest Regeneration Training Course

This two-day professional development opportunity designed to build your confidence in assessing regeneration potential and applying Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) strategies in real-world landscapes.Delivered by ecologist Dr Adam Forbes, Forbes Ecology Limited, this course is ideal for land stewards, council officers, mana whenua, catchment groups, and anyone working with native forest restoration. We’ll cover both scientific foundations and practical tools to gu...

In the media: Ngāti Tumutumu monitor Mt Te Aroha

Department of Conservation, Waikato Regional Council and Ngāti Tumutumu work together to monitor Mt Te Aroha.Read the full story in Te Aroha News here....

Pānui 10 | Whiringa-ā-nuku October 2025

Grab a kaputī and learn about what’s happening in the Kaimai Mamaku.This month, we look at kiwi populations in the 80s, we celebrate our CEO Louise Saunders nomination as Future Leader, Ngāti Tumutumu uses mātauranga to monitor the health of Mt Te Aroha and our Annual Report is out now.Read the full pānui now!...

Register your interest: AI Traps

Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust has secured funding from Western Bay of Plenty District Council and the Joint Agency Partnership (DOC, WRC and BOPRC) to purchase AI traps for a year-long trial in the Kaimai Mamaku project area. Together, we will test the capability and usefulness of AI traps for conservation groups in the Kaimai Mamaku terrain, and share that knowledge for the benefit of the wider conservation community....

In the media: Inside the iwi project restoring the Kaimai Mamaku

An iwi-led conservation movement is reshaping the Kaimai Mamaku landscape, blending mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) with ecological science to restore the mauri (life force) of the forest.Otawa Waitaha a Hei, the conservation project of Te Kapu ō Waitaha, covers 550 hectares and reconnects whānau (family) to whenua (land) and is revitalising native ecosystems for future generations. General manager Ray Wahipi said the kaupapa was much more than that.“Anything that’s ...

Cultural Monitoring on Mt Te Aroha

Earlier this month, Ngāti Tumutumu, Waikato Regional Council and Department of Conservation met at the historic Tūi Mine site as part of their ongoing monitoring programme. The agencies work together to maintain a long-term monitoring framework, with Ngāti Tumutumu leading the cultural monitoring component—an approach that combines mātauranga Māori with scientific techniques to assess the ongoing health of the environment.Jill Taylor,  Kaiwhakahaere of Ngāti Tumutumu Trust, com...

Are you our next community trustee?

The Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust Board is a co-governed body consisting of six Māori trustees and five community trustees and is led by co-chairs, one of whom is also a Māori trustee and the other a community trustee.The vision of Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust is to restore the mauri of the Kaimai Mamaku - to reverse the decline of forest health and improve the resilience of the Kaimai Mamaku ngahere and its catchments through the Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project.For details of our vision, missi...

Pānui 9 | Muhuru, September 2025

Grab a kaputī and learn about what’s happening in the Kaimai Mamaku.This month, Tapuika have completed their second toxin operation, we go out for a day with Ngāti Hako and we chat AI traps.But first, Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project kaimahi have contributed how much to the regional economies?!Read the full pānui now!Image: Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project project managers learning about Hobbiton’s sustainability programme....

You're invited: AGM 2025

We appreciate your ongoing support of the Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust's vision and invite you to celebrate another fantastic year with us.Date: 13 NovemberTime: 7pm...

In the media: Day in the Life with Ngāti Hako

The bush of the Kaimai Ranges is unforgiving: slippery clay, tangly kiekie and steep ridges. For predator control crews, this is daily life. For Ngāti Hako, kaitiakitanga of this rohe for centuries, the mahi (work) is worth it. Since 2021, the Hako Restoration Project has been bringing life back to the lands behind Karangahake Gorge destroyed by colonisation, logging, and mining.When these operations ceased, the land was effectively abandoned, and the weeds and introduced predators took over. T...

What exactly are Biodiversity Credits?

We have partnered with Boffa Miskell Ltd, an environmental consulting firm, to adapt an international biodiversity credits framework to New Zealand conditions. The value and integrity of Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project biodiversity credits will be established through this process.But, what does it all mean?We've removed the jargon and made a simple four-page overview of what exactly are Biodiversity Credits, and what they mean for you and your business. Just fill in your details below and...

Pānui 8 | Here-turi-kōkā, August 2025

Grab a kaputī and catch up with what’s been happening in the Kaimai Mamaku.This month, Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project managers enjoyed a day in the shire, Aotearoa Circle released their latest report, we’ve developed a Biodiversity Credits 101 cheat sheet, plus much more.READ THE FULL PĀNUI NOW....

Pānui 7 | Hōngongoi, July 2025

Grab a kaputī and catch up with what’s been happening in the Kaimai Mamaku.Our teams have just completed their annual health and safety audits, kiwi recorders were retrieved after a fortnight in the Mamaku and Waitaha has wrapped up eDNA testing in 12 strategic waterways.READ THE FULL PĀNUI NOW....

Partner Spotlight: Samson Safety Solutions

Working in the ngahere is unlike many other jobs. The office is the whenua, shaded by rākau, susceptible to the elements with many moving parts and unpredictable risks.To keep our eight iwi and hapū-led projects safe, Henry Samson, of Samson Safety Solutions, has been with us since inception.Henry’s job is to provide technical support to the Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project to build capability and proficiency in appropriate Health & Safety practices, developing a wellbeing culture in al...

Pānui 6 | Pipiri, June 2025

Grab a kaputī and catch up with what’s been happening in the Kaimai Mamaku.Years of hard work has paid off with two huge announcements, Te Whakamaru o Horohoro secure funding from Lotteries, and we release the outcomes of our Social Impact Survey.But first, our CEO Louise Saunders shares practical steps to help businesses invest safely into conservation and restoration work.Featured image: Te Paiaka block, Te Whakamaru o HorohoroREAD THE FULL PĀNUI NOW...

In the media: Government funds feral goat eradication

A plan to hire “the snipers of the hunting world” to cull feral goats wreaking “havoc” in the Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park has been kick-started by a $750,000 grant.The initiative, driven by Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust, aims to move from controlling feral goat populations to eradicating them.Trust chief executive Louise Saunders said control was about keeping population numbers low, whereas eradication was about “getting rid of them completely”.Over the past four years, a Joint Ag...