40 | Southland: Te Tapu O Tane T T Russell Fredric Community planting projects a focus Community planting projects throughout the lower South Island are a valuable part of the environmental work it facilitates. REAL TRAINING THAT SAVES LIVES. verticalhorizonz.com info@vhnz.co.nz 0800 72 33 848 RECOGNISED INDUSTRY LEADERS IN HIGH QUALITY WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING. • WORKING AT HEIGHTS • CONFINED SPACE • MOBILE ELEVATED WORK PLATFORM • FIRST AID • AND MORE... BRAND NEW CHRISTCHURCH TRAINING CENTRE 18 Klondyke Drive, Hornby, Christchurch 8042 PROUD TO SUPPORT TE TAPU O TA _ NE IN THEIR ON GOING SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES 0800 436 723 | www.waterforce.co.nz PUMPING IRRIGATION WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY WATER MEASUREMENT WATER MEASURE REGIONAL DEVELOMENT A vision to grow plants, people and much more lies at the roots of Te Tapu o Tāne. Established in 2021, Te Tapu o Tāne is an iwi-owned and operated environmentally focused charitable company owned by four Southland runanga: Murihiku, Awarua, Aparima, Hokonui and Waihōpai. Te Tapu o Tāne relates to the sacredness of Tāne – Tānemahuta, god of the forest and the protection of his tamariki, the trees. At the commercial heart of the business is its wholesale nursery on the northern boundary of Invercargill, along with the planting services and environmental management and planning consultancy it provides. Its holistic culture also embraces the protection of traditional food sources (mahinga kai), the development of young people (rangitahi) and the preservation of oral histories and traditions (korero tuku iho), while its social purpose is summed up in the phrase ‘nuture the seed and it will blossom’. Community planting projects throughout the lower South Island are a valuable part of the environmental work it facilitates. Chief executive Jana Davis says the original concept of Te Tapu o Tāne was seeded by a few kaumatua sitting together over a few cups of tea. “Basically they said, how do we scale up [land] restoration in Southland, how do we get more waterway work going on and how do we start dreaming up some of these big landscape-scale jobs and ultimately we need a home base to help make those things happen.” “We wanted to build a company to deliver more of the boots-on-the-ground work on behalf of the runanga.” With the vision laid out, Te Tapu o Tāne was established with Government funding as well as investment by Ngai Tahu, but the intention is for the organisation to be self-sufficient. There is a strong education, training and mentorship aspect, and there have been some great success stories of people finding career pathways, Jana says. “It’s not just about people that need a leg up, it’s also about people that are completely confident and capable to lead. One young guy came in and he’d never thought about studying and we reckon he will be doing environmental science in the next couple of years.” The nursery employs about 20 staff and
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