Project Crimson at East Cape
Date: 13 October 2008
Another successful tree-planting season for Project Crimson work took place at East Cape over winter, once again, emphasising the links between people and land. Department of Conservation (DOC) Gisborne Area Manager, Andy Bassett said today that funding from the Project Crimson Trust has contributed another year of planting to over a decade of work to restore pohutukawa to the East Cape coastline.
Rarawa Kohere and DOC Gisborne Area
Manager, Andy Bassett
"We are very grateful to Project Crimson who this year supplied 1,500 pohutukawa trees and $4,500 for fencing to protect the plantings from stock. The planting has taken place on land owned by the Kohere whanau, Ngati Piritai, located near East Cape lighthouse," Mr Bassett said.
On a sunny but windy Saturday morning, whanau from near and far, community members, neighbours and DOC staff gathered beneath the lighthouse, looking out to Whangaokena (East Island). Karakia and the rituals of mauri, kawa and tikanga for the naming of papakainga, marae, land and the planting trees were started by Reverends Kura Walker and Brent Swann, who led the group to a small fenced section where a pou whenua, carved by local resident Rarawa Kohere, was unveiled.
"There were five children of Hone Hiki and Henarata Kohere from whom we, as Ngati Piritai, claim descent. We want their descendents to know this papakainga, Matarehua, as their marae. The pou represents kaitiakitanga and shows the links between land and people through the generations. We have planted trees for each of the five children and their descendents around the pou and this is just the beginning of what we hope to do in this place," Mr Kohere said.
Following the unveiling and blessing of the pou and the trees planted around it, the whole group was invited back to Mr Kohere's home for a substantial morning tea to fuel them for the serious work to come. The team then moved into a fenced area between the road and the sea and started the transformation of a wind-eroded paddock into a potential forest.
The most easterly part of mainland New Zealand is susceptible to erosion from the strong winds that sweep and swirl around East Cape. Gullies gouged through paddocks and foothills show the damage caused. Another whanau member and local resident, Rei Kohere commented on the area where the main planting took place.
"The name of this area is Tapuerata and part of it was a burial ground. Until relatively recently there were more trees like kanuka and rata here, but now most have gone, and you can see where the wind has scoured out the land. Seed for the trees planted today was gathered from trees at the next beach and we're hoping these plantings will help stabilise the land. My wife Julie and I came back here and lease the farm from the whanau trust. We retired approximately five hectares of land from the farm as a reserve for this planting," Mr Kohere said.
With great good humour and conscientious attention to detail, the various participants planted approximately 700 trees in a short space of time. Choruses of 'Purple Rain' were sung and calls for more pills rang out as the planters ensured that each tree was installed with a portion of crystal rain and a fertiliser tablet to sustain them through drought-prone East Coast summers. Eventually, the group ran out of fertiliser which was just as well as it meant there were some trees left to be planted in the following week by local school children.
"A big part of our Project Crimson work in this area is about getting young people involved with practical conservation work. We try to give them an understanding of how unique our native species are and how important it is for all of us to care for them. Project Crimson has provided a brilliant way of introducing youngsters and sometimes their whanau, to an appreciation of how saving the planet doesn't have to be overwhelming and earnest and boring. It can be small manageable tasks that are actually good fun and provide promise of better things to come." Mr Bassett said.
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