48 | MEAT & WOOL » Hokotehi Moriori Trust A season of two halves for HMT The trust’s farming operation comprises two stations. Russell Fredric It has been a season of two halves for Hokotehi Moriori Trust’s (HMT) farm operation on Rekohu (Chatham Island), manager Levi Lanauze says. “It never dried out until later January, and then it went from too much moisture and grass to something like the Sahara Desert.” “We enjoyed good grass growth right up until mid-January and then it went from boom to bust. We didn’t get rain until very late March.” The trust’s farming operation comprises two stations: Kaingaroa Station, covering 4800 hectares on the northeast of Rekohu, supported by a 1000-acre fattening and finishing block at Henga, with about 4,500 lambs shipped to the mainland for processing each season. HMT employs Levi as its farm and forestry manager, and the trust is deeply involved in environmental initiatives on Rekohu. Kaingaroa Station contains several large water bodies, which HMT is about to covenant to protect. The trust will also undertake environmental enhancements such as riparian planting, fencing, and wildlife protection with assistance from conservation funding. The station also has significant areas of marginal land that lack value for the farm system, however these regions provide opportunities for carbon farming and the regeneration of native plant and tree species, Levi says. “Translocating native species has recently emerged as a way to foster cultural and environmental connections within our farming operations. This initiative not only engages us with our wider community, but it also provides an opportunity for revenue diversification for the farming unit, especially when considering carbon management.” HMT operates a plant nursery that employs three full-time staff, producing 60,000 native trees a year, eco-sourced from Rekohu. HMT has 383 hectares dedicated to the One Billion Trees Programme and is preparing to place an additional 822 hectares under a Nga Whenua Rahui covenant, a funding program designed to support the protection of indigenous ecosystems. Additionally, HMT possesses about 20 kilometres of coastline that is part of a covenant with the Department of Conservation (DOC). “Alongside our efforts to protect land and waterways, rigorous pest control initiatives have allowed us to begin translocating hakoakoa (muttonbird) back to the mainland of the Chatham Islands - a first for our imi (iwi). “Recently, we have also discovered Chatham Island mudfish in our lakes, highlighting the importance of improving water quality and regenerating native plant species within the fenced-off areas.” HMT currently holds 210 hectares in exotic trees for carbon forestry, with the revenue being assigned to the farming system and ecological work. “Utilising diversification and collaborating with our farming unit creates opportunities for our current staff and allows us to grow our team.” Levi grew up on Pitt Island and has worked in various conservation roles across mainland New Zealand. He is currently a member of the DOC Chatham Islands Conservation Board and the Chatham Island Landscape Restoration Trust. There is considerable excitement on the island following the discovery by a local of a centuries-old waka which is being described as one of the most important archaeological finds in New Zealand’s history and possibly the Pacific. “It’s an incredibly monumental discovery. Turanganui Romneys Mike Warren 027 446 5312 or 06 307 7841 Guy Warren 027 848 0164 William Warren 027 824 9327 Proud to support Hokotehi Moriori Trust Enquiries and Inspections welcome. Nick France: 027 567 8019 Proud to support Hokotehi Moriori Trust This is the most intact seafaring waka found in New Zealand history. Together with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, the iwi Ngati Mutanga o Wharekauri and HMT have been collaborating to unearth this significant find.” “Though it’s provenance has yet to be determined, it’s exciting for the Chatham Islands as a whole.”
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