Maybe you spot a crowd of volunteers planting up some stream banks in a South Auckland reserve. Local community, Auckland Council and local businesses united in purpose, many hands in the rich soil breathing life into regenerating mother earth. Many hands make light work. Within hours thousands more native plants are in their new home.
Right in amongst the crowd is a youth collective from Makaurau, Manurewa and Papatuānuku Kōkiri marae. Te Pu-a-nga Maara a Rangatahi led, Taiao (environmental) innovation organisation. Their approach to nature regeneration draws on kōrero tuku iho ancestral knowledge to reconnect communities to the Taiao, creating a movement of regeneration within their local area.
Like many regeneration projects, these young people started out as volunteers within their marae and communities. The funding has allowed them to turn their passion and dedication into purposeful career pathways.
Krissy Bishop is a Project Manager for Te Pu-a-nga Maara. The Awa Rangers is the latest team of Rangatahi innovators to hit the ground running.
Krissy shared: “The Jobs for nature contract has been a blessing and has allowed us to be part of the solution and to be a voice for our Awa. Taiao Ora Mauri Ora.”
This initiative was made possible with funding from the Department of Conservation's Mahi mō te Taiao (Jobs for Nature) Fund. The funds are administered by the Sustainable Business Network (SBN).
Matthew McClymont is SBN’s senior project and partnership manager.
“The work of the Awa Rangers is vital to our programme on the Puhunui. We’re excited to be able to support them grow their capacity and capabilities. This will help ensure they are prepared to acquire independent contracts in the future.
The aim is to help groups like Te Pu-a-nga Maara that are passionate about the environment become self-supporting organisations for generations to come. We’re keen to identify and support the establishment of more groups like this.”
With support from our funders, SBN has been able to provide paid work for ten people so far. They’ve grown and planted more than 14,000 native plants and trees. That's rejuvenating more than 5,000m2 of the landscape, in areas where pest plants and animals are being controlled. The team will maintain the plants without herbicides for the next 18 months. There work is set to transform this area for generations to come.