Ngāti Kahungunu leads conservation project at Tautane Station to safeguard 850-year-old rātā and surrounding ecosystem

A conservation project the size of 88 rugby fields and home to a rātā tree estimated to be 850 years old has opened on the remote Tautane Station in the Tararua district.

The 44ha project ‘Rātā tū wao ki Tautane’ is a partnership between Ngāti Kahungunu, the owners of the station, Horizons Regional Council, the QEII Trust and the Gunson family who lease the station.

The project involves the native bush and its ecosystem to be deer-fenced, and culled of pests including deer and possums.

The opening of the conservation project ‘Rātā tū wao ki Tautane’ was well attended.

Ngāti Kahungunu chairman Bayden Barber said the conservation work was about protecting the “iconic whenua” purchased by the iwi in 2013.

“We are protecting it for future generations and we want the native trees to regenerate - and they will without the deer in there.”

The block was opened with a karakia service, attended by neighbours, also on board with conservation work on their properties, Barber said.

The covenant will allow Ngāti Kahungunu to remove seeds from the block for propagation around Aotearoa and to remove plants and fallen trees for cultural purposes.

He said they were committed to allowing the Tautane bush to flourish and regenerate.

Ngāti Kahungunu chairman Bayden Barber addressed the conservation group at Tautane Station.

“It’s quite significant for Kahungunu and we have been working hard to ensure that the station is performing at its highest.”

He said the conservation work was “part of a bigger plan for Tautane Station”.

“Come 20 years from now or even 10 years you will see a huge difference in that bush - it will be thriving.”

The rātā tree understood to be around 850 years old stands tall above the rest of ‘Rātā tū wao ki Tautane’.

He said the iwi did not just plan to “fence it off and leave it”, and would work to maintain the bush and keep on top of pest control.

“We are in it for the long term for our mokopuna and it will be a thriving ecosystem of native bush and native birds.”

Barber said the protection ecosystem around the historical rātā tree would allow seedlings to grow and flourish.

“It has one of the eldest, if not the eldest, rātā trees in Aotearoa and we just want to protect all of that.”

Barber said Pōrangahau local and passionate kaitiaki Rob McLean takes an annual walk to the rātā tree to collect seeds to propagate and distribute around the community.

“He has been one of the key drivers with these QEII parks and he has all the history.

“You couldn’t get the smile off his face he was so happy for the acknowledgment and protection of the area.”

Barber said the iwi was looking for further ways to protect other bush and ecosystems within Tautane Station.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.