‘Transformational’ indigenous forest initiative to be presented at United Nation’s COP 28

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

A new initiative to help restore, enhance and plant 2.1 million hectares of diverse indigenous forest across New Zealand over the next decade has been announced by Pure Advantage.

Called Recloaking Papatūānuku, it is guided by the wisdom of mātauranga Māori and grew from a Tairāwhiti community flaxroots initiative called Recloaking the Whenua.

Environmental charity Pure Advantage yesterday released a report on Recloaking Papatūānuku developed by global management consultants McKinsey and a collective of experts.

The initiative is to be presented to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP) 2023 in Dubai in December.

Sam Gibson, a Tairāwhiti bushman and conservationist who helped lead the recovery in the heavily impacted Waimata catchment after Cyclone Gabrielle, says it has never been clearer that the lands, rivers and oceans cannot sustain the high level of rotation forestry and deforestation.

“We urgently need legislative change to transform our landscapes from monocultures to native forests,” he said.

“We urgently need a business model to bring about this shift. Now is the time — in 10 years it will be too late.”

Recloaking Papatūānuku is backed by a range of cross-industry leaders, many of who have outlined the reasons for their support.

Sustainable land use advocate Manu Caddie says the Recloaking Papatūānuku proposal is a common-sense solution to a number of complex problems.

“The potential of this truly transformational initiative will provide a legacy for everyone in Aotearoa to be proud of at a community level and on the global stage as a world-leading example of commitments to indigenous values and biodiversity restoration,” Mr Caddie said,

The target of at least 2.1 million hectares represents 7.8 percent of Aotearoa New Zealand’s land mass, weaving ecological resilience into landscapes across the country to help reverse the decline of indigenous plant and wildlife species.

Pure Advantage chair Rob Morrison said Recloaking Papatūānuku was an idea that had been thoroughly researched and analysed by some of the brightest minds in the country.

“It’s a seed that needs to be cared for and nurtured into a mighty kauri. The new Government has an opportunity to embrace it and make it part of their lasting legacy, leading Aotearoa to a brighter future,” he said.

More about this kaupapa is to feature in The Gisborne Herald’s Weekender on Saturday.