Tūpuna Maunga Authority celebrates five years of protecting Auckland’s ancestral mountains

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority has held its fiftieth meeting, marking five years of transformative decision-making over the Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains) of Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland.

Paul Majurey, Chair of the Tūpuna Maunga Authority, says the enhancements delivered over a brief period in the history of the maunga are pleasing but there remains much work ahead.

“The achievements of the Authority over the last five years are significant, being the result of successful co-governance between Mana Whenua and Auckland Council. Recognition is due to the manaaki of the people of Waiohua, Ngāti Whātua and Marutūāhu for sharing their taonga with the people of Auckland through the landmark Tāmaki Collective Treaty settlement,” says Majurey.

In late 2014, the Authority took up the administration of fourteen iconic maunga that had for many decades been managed as parks with varying protection of their cultural and historic values. The task of elevating these values and restoring these landmarks began.

“Mana Whenua have always maintained a living connection with the maunga and regarded them as ‘taonga tuku iho’ (treasures handed down the generations). Together with the connections all Aucklanders have with the maunga, the lens of Māori cultural, spiritual and customary significance of these places has introduced a new way of thinking about these treasured places. Importantly, people have begun to see the maunga not simply parks, but as some of Auckland’s oldest and most important cultural and archaeological landmarks. With this learning and understanding we have seen support for efforts to protect and restore these treasured taonga.”

“The enhancements to date position the maunga well for a future achievement - UNESCO World Heritage Status,” says Majurey.

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority noted highlights in the preservation and protection of the maunga during its 2016-2019 term.

Pedestrianisation of the maunga

  • Recognising that the maunga are cultural and natural heritage sites with features of national and international importance, all six maunga with roads to the tihi (summit) have been returned to pedestrian spaces.
  • They are Maungawhau / Mt Eden, Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill, Takarunga / Mt Victoria, Maungarei / Mt Wellington, Pukewīwī / Puketāpapa / Mt Roskill and Ōwairaka / Te Ahi-kā-a-Rakataura / Mt Albert
  • Understanding that not all people can walk to the tihi, those with limited mobility can obtain a gate access code to drive to the top.

Vegetation restoration

  • 74,000 native trees and shrubs will be planted across the maunga by 2021. Over 20,000 have been planted in the last twelve months.
  • Since 2014 the Authority has been laying the groundwork to reinstate original ecology and biodiversity and reconnect ecological networks both within and between the maunga.
  • This works also aims to protect indigenous plant and animal species already present on the maunga, some of which are threatened species.

Pest control

  • Concerted efforts over the last five years to control both plant and animal pests across the maunga network have been very successful.
  • Pest plant control contracts are in the final year of a five-year programme and high-priority pest plants are of now of low incidence.
  • Pest animal eradication programmes continue. Success is evidenced by few or no recent sightings of rats, possums and rabbits on the maunga.

Integrated Management Plan

  • In 2016, following a public consultation and hearings process, the Authority released a Tūpuna Maunga Integrated Management Plan to guide the consistent preservation and protection of all fourteen maunga in the 2014 Treaty of Waitangi settlement.
  • The Plan and subsequent management regimes recognise that the maunga are among the most significant cultural, historical and geological (volcanic) landscapes in the region and are iconic taonga.
  • The Tūpuna Maunga Strategies, which gives effect to the values and pathways in the Management Plan, will be approved by the end of 2019.

Transfer of Maungauika / North Head

  • Transfer of Maungauika / North Head in Devonport, from the Department of Conservation to the Tūpuna Maunga Authority completed in July 2019.
  • This was an important milestone as it completed the original 2014 Treaty of Waitangi settlement arrangements for the maunga and ensures the cultural and historic values of Maungauika are managed consistently with other maunga into the future.

Track upgrades

  • Track upgrades across the maunga are improving safety for visitors while also protecting and preserving heritage features such as historic Māori pā terraces and pits and important geological features.
  • Track upgrades have been completed, are underway or are planned for Takarunga / Mt Victoria, Maungarei / Mt Wellington, Maungawhau / Mt Eden, Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill, Ōhuiarangi / Pigeon Mountain, Te Tātua a Riukiuta / Big King, Te Kōpuke / Tītīkōpuke / Mt St John, and Te Pane o Mataoho / Te Ara Pueru / Māngere Mountain.

Love Your Maunga event

  • The Authority's annual Love Your Maunga event is one of the ways the people of Tāmaki Makaurau can connect with their maunga while enjoying family-friendly entertainment, food and market stalls.
  • Events have been held at Maungawhau / Mt Eden (2016), Ōtāhuhu / Mt Richmond (2017) and Te Pane o Mataoho / Te Ara Pueru / Māngere Mountain (2018, 2019 and 2020).

We look forward to another five years of game-changing mahi on the Maunga.