Graeme Atkins and Raukūmara Pae Maunga Project

Smith, J Hutchings, J and Taura Y. “Graeme Atkins and Raukūmara Pae Maunga Project”, Research Summary, He Matai i te Taiao, Papawhakaritorito Trust: Kaitoke, 2024

“Our communities cannot see the damage occurring in the inaccessible parts of the Raukūmara. Deer and possums are decimating the ngāhere, with removal of understorey and disruption to the canopy layer. It is hard to have an emotional connection with something that you do not know. Regaining access to our forests is crucial for our people to reclaim our pūrākau and tribal narratives of place and species”. Graeme Atkins pers. comm., Rotorua, May 2022

East Coast biodiversity ranger, Graeme Atkins (Ngāti Porou) grew up learning from his grandmother about the power of the ngāhere and the rongoā that preside there.