Successful restoration need not require destruction to succeed
by Anna Radford and Shirley Waru (Te Rarawa o Ngāpui / Te Uri o Tai)
A mock-up showing how this current view at Ōwairaka / Mt Albert (above) would look without the exotic trees.
A High Court decision recently cleared the way for Tūpuna Maunga Authority to rid Auckland’s volcanic cones (maunga) of all exotic trees – some 2500 of them. Fortunately that decision is being appealed but the trees’ fates still hang in the balance.
When announcing the decision, the Authority argued that removing the trees over a very short timeframe was necessary for “cultural, spiritual and ecological restoration”.
There is no question that the maunga are important to Tangata Whenua nor is there any doubt about the need to redress injustices perpetuated against Māori.
However, the maunga tree situation raises questions around whether cultural, spiritual and ecological restoration necessarily requires the destruction of other cultural identities and ecologies.
These are important considerations – not only for Auckland, but New Zealand.
But first, some background. The Authority was established to administer 14 maunga following a Treaty settlement (Collective Redress Act 2014) that vested ownership in a trust of 13 iwi and hapu (“Nga Mana Whenua”). The land is held on trust for them "and the other people of Auckland".
The “other people” applies to Tangata Whenua excluded from that settlement, and people from other ethnicities who live in Tāmaki Makaurau. The lands were designated reserves, thus guaranteeing public access.
To reflect this Treaty partnership, the ratepayer-funded Authority equally comprises iwi and Auckland Council members.
In addition to the Treaty lands, the Authority also administers the Crown-owned Mangere mountain, where it felled all 153 exotic trees in 2019.
Tūpuna Maunga Authority has used ‘ecological restoration’ as a justification since it began felling maunga trees two years ago until community action on Ōwairaka / Mt Albert intervened.
The intended ‘ecological restoration’ implies positive action, yet the Authority’s destructive methodology will destroy designated Significant Ecological Areas and negatively affect maunga ecosystems for decades to come.
Although it intends to replace the exotic trees with thousands of natives, planting plans show the vast majority are akin to motorway plantings - low-growing species such as grasses, flaxes and shrubs that will sequester little carbon. The tiny proportion of tree saplings will take many decades to grow to the size of the mature exotic trees they are replacing. No matter what kind of tree is planted, only a fully grown tree can “replace” a mature one that has been felled.
Furthermore, the Authority’s intended actions fly in the face of best practice international succession management, which is never about clearance; it is about creating a sustainable balance between transitional native and exotic ecosystems.
This is a significant point, particularly given the importance of large trees to climate management in light of the Climate Emergencies declared by Auckland Council and Central Government.
It seems that in Auckland – and now in wider New Zealand – a desire for restoration has seen ecology being idealised into a simplistic equation of native equals good and exotic equals bad. This is despite this country’s food crops being of non-native origin.
Anna Radford leads the Honour the Maunga tree protection group, which has maintained an ongoing presence on Ōwairaka / Mt Albert since November 2019
Shirley Waru leads Respect Mt Richmond / Ōtāhuhu and will occupy that maunga if moves are made to fell its trees.
As can be seen on Auckland’s maunga, birds and beasties don’t discriminate; native and exotic trees are simply food, homes and shelter. Native trees don’t discriminate either. Most self-seeded plants are natives, flourishing under the protective shelter of the mature overstory natives and exotics alike.
Well intended but misguided commitment to the native tree good / exotic bad ideology has seen the nearly bankrupt Auckland Council approving many millions of ratepayer dollars to fund these trees’ destruction at a time it is slashing essential services and disestablishing hundreds of jobs.
Given the modern world we all now live in with its inherent challenges and opportunities for Tangata Whenua and others alike, we fail to see how destroying thousands of healthy mature trees will serve anybody well in the long run other than tree felling contractors, lawyers and nurseries growing native seedlings that – as has been seen on maunga such as Mangere – inevitably die due to the dry exposed conditions and need replacing time and time again.
We have spoken with hundreds of people on this issue. Despite the wide range of views, almost everyone supports the long-term goal of native restoration; the point of difference lies in the process of achieving it.
This kākā doesn’t care that it is in a Banksia; it simply sees this tree as a tasty snack.
The maunga tree situation has been highly polarising yet there do not need to be winners and losers. The Authority could achieve its goals in a spiritually and culturally-appropriate way that brings all the people of Auckland with them without disrespecting things that are culturally and spiritually significant to local communities and Tangata Whenua. It is also possible without destroying natural ecosystems that do not conform to an as-yet undefined ideal.
The past year’s fraught events on Auckland’s maunga suggest the time has come to reframe restoration thinking away from destruction to constructive transformation in partnership with nature.
This approach should also be applied beyond the maunga.
Auckland is losing trees – particularly tall ones – at a sickening rate. Even protected trees are not safe, with Auckland Council recently favouring developers over the environment and local communities by approving the removal of a protected Macrocarpa tree on public land in Avondale.
One way of doing this is for the Government, local bodies and Treaty co-governance organisations to start walking this country’s Clean Green talk, while honouring traditional Māori tikanga (culturally-appropriate practices) and values that put Papatūānuku / Mother Earth at the centre of all political decision-making and personal relationships.
Such an approach would see the maungas’ cultural, spiritual and ecological restoration done in a sensitive and conciliatory manner that honours the Earth Mother that supports us all, while treating everyone respectfully and with integrity in the process.
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