Regenerating a rare taonga

A $3000 grant from Sunrise’s General fund was awarded to the Endangered Species Foundation, supporting their ngutukākā project which aims to revive a taonga species that once made the whole East Coast bloom red. The Tairāwhiti ngutukākā, also known as kākābeak, is one of our rarest and most threatened plant species in the wild. 

With the goal of replanting and regenerating the numbers of this species so it can begin to thrive, the foundation’s focus is not just on the protection, preservation, and promotion of ngutukākā, but on ways to develop skills, grow expertise, and create mahi (work) and opportunities for people who live on the Coast.  

“I hope that in five years' time people come to SH35 in springtime, and they see our roadside, our marae, our kura, and our important places laden with ngutukākā blossoms red, white, pink and every colour in between,”

                               Alice Cameron, Ngutukākā Project Founder. 

The project’s Māori-led conservation team is dedicated to replenishing the ngutukākā throughout the region and so far, thousands have been planted in various locations up the Coast. By bringing together a variety of people, to learn from each other, the project leaders hope to ensure the long-term survival of this iconic species.