Te Toa Whenua is a 900hectare forest restoration project in the lower Waipoua Valley.
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Renowned not only as a warrior, Te Roroa chief Tuohu is celebrated as a highly skilled gardener known to have been associated with gardens throughout the Waipoua. The phrase ‘ko te toa whenua’ is a testament to his mana as a gardener and through the application of this phrase to the project we seek to reinvigorate that mana within Te Roroa tangata, Te Roroa Whenua.
Te Toa Whenua is derived from a descriptive and inspirational ‘talk’ about a local ancestor, Tuoho who demonstrated innovation, industry and leadership. A large concentration of his mahinga (gardens) and those of his predecessors, are located within the restoration corridor. It is the protection and preservation of these wahi tapu sites, through the application of indigenous management practices that underpins this project.
900ha of exotic commercial forestry blocks will be retired along the Waipoua River to make way for a native restoration corridor. Te Toa Whenua represents an opportunity for the community to experience and develop the understanding of traditional and contemporary garden practices and have lived experiences of interconnectedness to the whenua.
Te Toa Whenua (TTW) is an initiative by Te Roroa iwi to transform c.900 hectares of Treaty settlement cultural redress lands from exotic forestry to a mosaic of sustainable land uses. Ecological restoration is a component of TTW which will involves intensive pest plant and pest animal management and indigenous reforestation. This will help support the community’s socio-economic and economical aspirations through interdependent and lived environmental management practices.
