Date:  29 July 2026

Tama, 41, is DOC’s Project Co-Lead for Pureora, a relatively new role in the department’s Maniapoto team. He’s focused on developing a long-term vision and plan for the forest, a noted biodiversity hotspot and popular recreation location for people who go naturing.

Tama at the kākā release
Image: DOC

West of Lake Taupō, Pureora is significant to various iwi and stakeholders, including district and regional councils.

“The attraction of this role was the enormity and complexity of it,” Tama says.

“It’s not just the Pureora Forest Park, it’s the surrounding areas too.”

Tama’s initial focus is on developing relationships, and understanding the various factors influencing longer-term management and protection of the forest.

He’s in close contact with staff from Horizons Regional Council, Waikato Regional Council and Waikato River Authority, Te Awa Tupua, as well as representatives from several iwi: Te Nehenehenui, Raukawa, Te Kōtahitanga o Ngāti Tūwharetoa, and Ngāti Hāua.

He’s also working alongside project co-lead Kiri Diamond (Tuwharetoa), and the various DOC treaty partners who connect to Pureora.

“We’re calling this the discovery phase,” he says. “The aspiration for the project is for our treaty partners and communities to lead how we manage and protect Pureora to bring it all together.”

Tama says it’s been a steep learning curve as he develops knowledge and understanding of what people and organisations see for the future of Pureora.

“When people ask me, ‘what is your job?’, I sum it up as ‘I am the weaver of your dreams.

“We’re pulling in different strands, and the outcome will be a korowai (cloak) with everyone’s dreams and aspirations intermingling and overlapping.”

Another early highlight for Tama in his role has been helping to carry out tikanga for an injured and rehabilitated kākā, recently released back into the forest.

“I didn’t realise how rare that was. Even with the amount of wildlife there, it’s not a common thing,” he says.

The role marks Tama’s second stint with DOC, having previously worked as a ranger in the Taranaki team, assigned to the Taranaki Maunga Project both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

With his Te Nehenehenui affiliations, the position represents a homecoming for Tama. His broader whakapapa encompasses Ngāti Maniapoto, Kinohaku, Uekaha, and Pākeha.

“Working for the Department of Conservation in Maniapoto is a deeper dive into my whakapapa,” he says.

Tama was raised in Taranaki, and his childhood memories of Maniapoto are generally limited to family events.

“Every river and mountain I’ve visited, I’ve found a connection. It’s been pretty awesome.”

Tama never expected to forge a career in conservation, but describes himself as a “nature boy”, enthusiastic about “jumping into the river at Whaitara” while growing up.

“It wasn’t until later in life those jobs in the environment came up, and I thought ‘that’s me’.”

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