Māra Kokotoha

10/06/2026

We're planting this Saturday! Please join us 9-noon to get some trees in the ground, followed by shared kai.
https://www.facebook.com/share/1djsukygfr/

03/06/2026

Don't forget your woody debris when regenerating a paddock! It supports moisture retention in the summer, improves biodiversity of helpful fungi and bitty critters, and provides a (toilet) perch which encourages feathered planting buddies to contribute seeds to the project.

17/05/2026

Meet Battie and Karasu! They live wild within Maunga Ngahere, a grove of tōtara we care for, and when the weather's rotten they sometimes choose to roost in our shed.
We plant native trees for them.
We control w**ds for them.
We kill rats, possums, and stoats for them.
Undoing human damage to their habitat is a big part of our ongoing mission for regeneration.
Aren't they just so cute all snuggled up!

23/04/2026

On Monday we were heading out to do some planting and we noticed a pukeko sheltering among some grasses by the pathway, peeking up to see us then ducking back down. As we passed by, it did not fly away, so I assumed it might be sitting on some eggs. However, when it still did not fly away as we passed again a few moments later, we became concerned something was wrong. As we approached, it squawked and flapped in panic, but could not run or fly. So I dashed back to the house to pick up a box while Jesse scooped it up. We are very fortunate to live just minutes away from the Whangārei Native Bird Recovery Centre, and they kindly took in this unfortunate bird. The vet was unable to determine the cause of injury, but head trauma or poison consumption causing neurological damage was suspected. We visited every day and watched the condition improve from being unable to stand without falling over to dashing about and climbing the walls. This afternoon we received the call that the puk was ready to come home. They are still unable to fly, but they can run with speed and are moving with strength, and because we don't allow dogs on our property it was decided they are better off in their home than confined at the centre. Welcome home little puk!

15/03/2026

"I came across a new restoration study this week that felt very validating for what we’ve been doing here at Māra Kokotoha...."

Get more from Māra Kokotoha on Patreon

06/03/2026

The autumn sun makes the young plantings much easier to see against the carrot w**d. Last year you mostly saw fiberglass stakes marking where plants were. Now the plantings themselves are becoming visible.

We walk the property every day, so it’s easy to miss how much has changed. But moments like this make it clear the forest is starting to emerge from what used to be a grazed paddock.

We're still out here regularly with the ongoing work: pulling w**ds, checking traps, and planning the next planting areas for this winter.

Autumn also means grant writing season. We currently have several arts grant proposals out. One exciting development is that we have a venue interested in hosting a photographic exhibition about the regeneration of Māra Kokotoha using the panorama photos we’ve been taking over time. The exhibition is dependent on grant funding though, since printing the works alone will cost over $1,000. Fingers crossed!

We continue to hope about how to make this project financially sustainable.

Here are the rough numbers:

• $650 NZD/month (~$390 USD) covers the land costs (rates and insurance).
• $950 NZD/month total (~$570 USD) would add our ideal pest management plan (traps, bait, etc).
• $2,300 NZD/month total (~$1,380 USD) would also cover our basic subsistence costs (food, water, electricity).

That’s still far less than the roughly $5,000 NZD/month it would take to fund the work here while paying even a single full-time minimum wage job. (Jesse has been applying constantly for years and has only received one interview.)

Our goal has always been to support this through many small contributions, ideally $5–$10 per month from people who want to see native forest regeneration happen and support the creative projects that grow out of it.

If you enjoy following the progress here, sharing this page with others who might be interested helps a lot.

Every bit of support helps keep this work going.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/forest-emerges-152418607

02/03/2026

Very important election business.

On/near Māra Kokotoha live kokopu, tuna, and kōura. Likely bully as well, but we haven't spotted them yet!

https://www.mountainstosea.org.nz/fish-of-the-year?

09/02/2026

https://www.patreon.com/posts/more-summer-150362985

New post about summer seeding and harvesting.

06/02/2026

A significant amount of the work here is removing w**ds pest w**ds and animals. The most prevalent is kikuyu, but we also have issues with blackberry, tradescantia, and African club moss.

Know anyone interested in helping prevent and remove invasive w**ds in New Zealand? Send them this link!

Petitions are addressed to the House of Representatives and ask that the House do something about a policy or law, or put right a local or private concern.

14/01/2026

Thanks to a generous neighbor, we got a great start, with these two buckets helping us sow an area of ~3,500 square meters!
We estimate about 12 more buckets full will help us finish fully seeding the entire area we're hoping to jumpstart.