Spotlight on: Taiea te Taiao

Maungatautari to Pirongia Ecological Corridor Project

Taiea te Taiao mā Mangapiko mai i Maungatautari ki Pirongia ahu ake

“Cherish the environment, following the Mangapiko, from Maungatautari to Pirongia, and beyond”

Whenua Tohu: marking cultural significance
Planting a legacy
What lies below…

Since 2021 NZ Landcare Trust has been working on a major project in Waikato planting hundreds of thousands of native plants and restoring biodiversity across an ecological corridor that spans more than 40 kilometres.

Taiea te Taiao Maungatautari to Pirongia Ecological Corridor Project involves 10 partners and a community of supporters and landowners who are all collaborating with NZ Landcare Trust on the ambitious five-year project.

“More than 80% of indigenous ecosystem cover has been lost and over 200 species are at risk of extinction in the Waikato. There’s an understanding that it’s going to take more than five years to rectify but the foundations built now by the connections between people and awa are well-placed to sustain generations of restoration to come,” says Project coordinator Bexie Towle.

Achievements to date

High community engagement at all levels
eDNA, pekapeka, tuna and Citizen Science monitoring programmes underway using both western science and mātauranga Māori
More than 250,000 plants in the ground alongside land retirement, fencing, weed control and maintenance
1,300 predator traps on private land
More than 4,000 hectares of protected habitat on the two maunga at either end of the corridor
Events and workshops delivered to more than 300 people a year
More than 60 landowners receiving funding support.

What lies below...

Over the 2024/25 summer period Taiea te Taiao conducted extensive monitoring of the Mangapiko River.

Thanks to funding from Fonterra and the Environmental Protection Authority the team undertook environmental DNA sampling of six sites along the river.

“Waterways serve as vital hubs for biodiversity. Environmental DNA (eDNA) refers to the genetic material organisms leave behind as they move through an environment. “By analysing eDNA, we can identify the species present or those that have interacted with a particular ecosystem,” explains Starsha Bird from the University of Waikato.

A partnership with the University of Waikato took this further with another study looking at eDNA, air quality (airDNA) and insects and invertebrates (iDNA) in the river. A range of sites with varying levels of predator control and restoration planting were sampled. By using three different testing methods the team has been able to capture more detailed information than using water-based eDNA sampling alone. Results are now being collated and analysed by PhD candidate Starsha Bird.

“The monitoring informs the project about species present and the impact of stream use, and helps us track changes over time as the ecological corridor develops. The conversations that we have with community and landowners are also enhanced by sharing knowledge about what species are surviving, thriving and hiding in their own backyards. Many of our native species are hard to see. eDNA gives that visibility,” says Bexie.

“This monitoring compliments other methods including tuna monitoring using mātauranga Māori methods and bat monitoring using acoustic monitors. In the future, Taiea te Taiao hopes to use radio tracking to determine maternal roost sites of long-tailed bats (pekapeka-tou-roa).”

The project’s sampling of Mangapiko River thus far recorded more than 500 different species including fish, molluscs, birds, crustaceans, insects, worms, algae and plants. See the previous results from six sites on Wilderlab: www.wilderlab.co.nz/explore

Planting a legacy

For sheep and dairy farmers John Oien and Angela Magee, Maungatautari will always hold a special place in their hearts.

The couple and their two children live on a 155ha property within the Taiea te Taiao Maungatautari to Pirongia Ecological Corridor. Farming a mix of 160 dairy cows, 40-plus calves and 430 ewes, the couple have spent several years fencing off waterways and existing bush areas. With support from the local council, the couple planted over 10,000 trees on the property.

In 2024 they received support from the Taiea te Taiao project to extend the planting area with 11,000 further trees. The planting became a family affair with John’s parents travelling down from Kaitaia to help out. Tragically, not long after the plants were in the ground, John’s father was diagnosed with aggressive pancreatic cancer and he died in early 2025. The Taiea te Taiao plantings have become a memorial to John’s father.

“The area has become even more special for our family. The plants are right in the centre of the property and we can look out and watch the trees grow, knowing that Dad planted them and a bit of him will always be part of the area,” says John.

“We got involved with the Taiea te Taiao project to ‘pay it forward’ for future generations and it’s very much part of us now. The team is incredible to work with and the plantings have already improved the biodiversity on the farm and our grazing areas.”

Whenua Tohu: marking cultural significance

The project has reached another milestone with the installation of Whenua Tohu markers identifying cultural heritage and trade sites in the Taiea te Taiao ecological corridor’s Corridor Plan.

The whenua markers will include a platform to hold information and space for the installation of pou, including steel artwork by Te Aukaha Puke and, in the future QR codes to showcase flyovers of the sites.

The first of nine marker poles was installed in March 2024 at Rāhiri farm on the western side of Maungatautari. This was followed by another installation at Kaipaka Pā in Te Awamutu. Late in 2024, the team visited further locations of trade pre-European settlement along the Mangapiko River. At Pūrekireki marae, the team recorded the wording for signage to be attached to the whenua marker poles.

Sponsored by Waipā Networks with support from Waipā District Council, the markers are designed to engage the community in Māori economic history within the Taiea te Taiao ecological corridor.

“The markers help to share the stories of our beginnings as we continue with our ecological efforts to cherish the environment and restore the land,” NZ Landcare Trust Mātauranga Māori facilitator Te Ao o te Rangi Apaapa says.

The locations of the Whenua Tohu: