Our
Story
The Hākarimata Restoration Trust was initially founded in 2002, by community members with support from Iwi, Regional and District Councils, and the University of Waikato. Volunteers with the trust took steps that has had a lasting and profound impact on the health of the forests and streams, most notably the eradication of destructive feral goats from Haakarimata. Several wide-scale pest control initiatives showed great promise, with korimako and kereru thriving in the reserve - however, sustained pest control has proved challenging, and eventually diminished to about 200 hectares of bush protected through volunteer efforts and supported by local businesses and councils.
In 2023, these fragmented efforts began to coalesce into 'Predator Free Hakarimata' and as the interests of this group expanded into freshwater protection, planting, adn advocacy, the Haakarimata Restoration Group was re-formed in 2024, with the 'restoration' term reflecting the full activities of the group, and the 'double-vowel spelling reflecting the preferred local te reo dialect (elsewhere represented with a macron as Hākarimata). With a groundswell of support from the local community and hundreds of visitors to an open community launch event in Ngaaruawaahia the group aims to restore the forests, streams, wildlife, and kaitiakitanga of Haakarimata. The Haakarimata Restoration Trust is the governing body for this group.
The group is now expanding on-the-ground efforts with plans to extend pest control efforts and major stream planting projects underway in 2025, and planning underway to secure financial support to take major steps towards our long-term ecosystem and community goals in 2026.
Our Mission
The Haakarimata Restoration Group is a community-driven initiative that is dedicated to restoring and conserving the ecology of Haakarimata and its surrounding areas, including nearby Ngaaruawaahia and Glen Massey. Together, we aim to protect the flora and fauna of Haakarimata from introduced pests and weeds, restore the health of forest, wetland, and freshwater habitats, re-introduce indigenous species which have disappeared, and uphold the cultural, wellbeing, and natural values of Haakarimata for generations to come.
whakahokia mai te tangi manu
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bring back the birdsong
Our mahi
Pest Control
Introduced vertebrates, insects, aquatic organisms, disease agents, and weeds are threats to our unique native taonga, and to the ecological process which support them, and us. This is also true in Haakarimata. Today, portions of old-growth kohekohe forest are at risk of canopy collapse because of extreme browsing pressure by introduced possums. Introduced wasps devour massive numbers of insects which would otherwise be pollinating native plants or being fed to baby birds. Birds that survive are at risk of predation by rats and weasels. Largely through volunteer effort, we seek to suppress and remove these pests from Haakarimata, using a variety of appropriate, safe, and humane tools, so that the forests and streams can thrive in perpetuity.
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Community Engagement
We believe that ecological health and thriving communities go hand-in-hand, and we seek to engage with the communities around Haakarimata and Ngāruawāhia for all of our benefit. The Haakarimata Restoration Trust is a community-focused group. We welcome support and involvement from around the world, but our initiatives are set by locals, guided by iwi, discussed with our neighbours, and supported by our community and local government.
Restoration & Advocacy
We work with local land owners and agencies to restore the wairua of Haakarimata. This involves people working together to return ecosystem-appropriate native forests to streams and slopes which run from Haakarimata to the Waipa and Waikato rivers. We have begun to return rare plant species, once common but locally extinct from Haakarimata due to prolonged pest pressure. We hope that intentional introduction of locally extinct birds will follow, and advocate for translocations once the forest is again made safe. The idea of kiwi and kōkako calling from the forest edge may seem far off - it once did to us. We believe that we could begin to reintroduce these species by 2030.