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stewardship and sustainable management (kaitiakitanga). A proverb
of the Tuwharetoa tribe illustrates the primary relationship between
the people, the land and its natural resources:
Ko Tongariro te Maunga
Ko Taupo te Moana
Ko Ngati Tuwharetoa te Iwi
Ko Te Heuheu te Tangata
Tongariro is our sacred mountain and the pinnacle of our
connection between Papatuanuku (the earth mother) and
Ranginui (the sky father)
Lake Taupo represents the gathering of the life-giving waters
descended from Ranginui and Papatuanuku, forming, nurturing and
connecting us as people of this land and the tribes further afield
Ngati Tuwharetoa are the recognized people of these lands,
waters and forests
Te Heuheu is our esteemed leader and chief who has oversight
and responsibility to maintain the life force (mauri) of our tribal
treasure
Outstanding features of sustainable management
The Tuwharetoa proverb provides a constant reference for the
sustainable management of the land and forests. The lease conditions
reflect the landowners’ priorities in protecting the cultural, spiritual
and ecological integrity of the lakes, rivers and fisheries as well as
their tribal heritage.
Thefirstthreeobjectivesoftheleasestipulatecultural,socialandecologi-
cal bottomlines. The landowners sought assurance fromtheGovernment
that these components would be addressed before the land clearance and
commercial planting outlined in the fourth objective would be allowed.
The main points of the two leases are paraphrased below:
• Preventing soil erosion and reducing pollution of
Lake Taupo and of the related streams and rivers
• Conserving and protecting fish and wildlife habitats
and other natural resources
• Preserving and safeguarding the graves and other
sacred places of the Maori people, and the areas of
natural beauty and scenery
• Consistent with the above purposes, establishing and
managing a commercial plantation forest on the lands.
The degree of compliance achieved with the above
conditions provides a remarkable example of partner-
ship understanding and commitment. The examples
far exceeded any compliance standards of local and
national government agencies existing in that period.
The high proportion of land area set aside for protection
is unparalleled in New Zealand pine forests.
The trustees and their joint venture partner, the New
Zealand Government, are under no illusion that their ambi-
tion tomaintain a globally competitive, commercial forestry
business relies on their capacity to demonstrate sustainable
management practices of the highest order. Both forest
estates are intensively managed and comply with Forest
Stewardship Council accreditation attained in 2002.
Whanaungatanga
Whanaungatanga is a key Maori concept that refers to
human cooperation, sharing and solidarity. It is most aptly
demonstrated in the decision of the landowners to aggregate
their 137 land blocks under the two trusts. The concept
is also illustrated in the sharing of the ‘positive’ and ‘nega-
tive’ aspects of each block. Every hectare of land shares an
equal proportion of the annual distribution, regardless of its
suitability for commercial forestry. This recognition of the
interconnectedness of all lands, and their different forms of
contribution to the overall venture, is important in enhanc-
ing its long-term viability and sustainability.
Maintaining the ownership register
The 137 land blocks vary in size from 25 ha to 4,600 ha,
and the number of owners in each block from 30 to 3,000.
This is a characteristic of Maori land ownership that is
further compounded by the inter-generational increase in
owner numbers and the diminishing size of their interests
in the land. These characteristics generate significant costs
in keeping track of the more than 20,000 owners, living all
around New Zealand and abroad. The trusts have a team of
three people who are dedicated to maintaining ownership
records and managing communications and distributions.
The trusts have accurate contact details for about 50 per
cent of the owners. This represents around 70 per cent of
the total shareholding. Of the 10,000 owners for whom
there are no details, many are deceased, and their shares
have never been formally succeeded to.
Income and distribution
The Lake Taupo Forest Trust made its first distribution
to owners in 1995, the year harvesting commenced. Lake
Rotoaira Forest Trust followed in 2002. Distributions
The Maori landowners’ traditional welcome to guests and tribal graduates
Image: George Asher