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Forest & Bird’s Pest Free Hibiscus Coast recently signed off on a sizeable grant from Auckland Council.
The organisation was granted $79,000 (spread over three years) from Council’s Regional Environment and Natural Heritage fund.
Competition was fierce for the funding pool of just over $1m, with 99 applications received, of which just over half (48) were granted.
Hibiscus Coast Forest & Bird’s grant was the second highest in the region.
The money will largely be used to hire someone who can help integrate Te Ao Maori (the Maori world view) into the local pest control effort.
It will also be used to expand the project within the community, including increasing backyard trapping.
Pest Free Hibiscus Coast’s Jenny Hanwell says advice from a Maori perspective will assist the organisation’s pest control and monitoring work.
The combination of Te Ao and science is something Hanwell says is a fast developing field.
The role will also involveidentifying and sharing stories relating to the human and natural history of the peninsula and the Ōrewa Estuary area.
Pest Free Hibiscus Coast already works with the local community marae, Te Herenga Waka o Ōrewa, but Hanwell says the person appointed to be Kaitohutohu Tikanga Aotūroa Māori will work part time with the existing pest control team and volunteers.
The role will also have a focus on engaging local people from the Māori community in the project and adding content to its schools programme.
“It will definitely improve our ability to make the Coast pest free,” Hanwell says.
