Conservation and Caring for the Tūpuna Maunga

Biodiversity strategy

The Authority is restoring the native ecosystems of the Maunga that once flourished across the volcanic terrain. This is the WF7 Pūriri Ecosystem (more below). This work includes:

• Reintroducing native species including birds, mokomoko (lizards), and pekapeka (bats)
• Planting native trees and plants with cultural and ecological importance
• Supporting forest regeneration to create safe habitats for taonga species
• Monitoring and protecting rare and endangered species
• Partnering with Mana Whenua, schools, and community groups to share knowledge and grow connections

This restoration not only brings back biodiversity but also reconnects cultural relationships with traditional species used for medicine, weaving, and food. 

Biosecurity strategy

This strategy’s goal is to reduce the amount of pest flora and fauna on the Maunga and protect what remains through humane, innovative methods.

Invasive species threaten the delicate balance of Maunga ecosystems. The biosecurity work aims to:

• Eliminate pests like rats, possums, mustelids, rabbits, hedgehogs, plague skinks, unowned / feral cats, and invasive weeds
• Use humane and Environmental Protection Authority of New Zealand (EPA) approved animal and pest control, species-specific pest control
• Reduce use of herbicides and pesticides
• Encourage responsible pet ownership near the Maunga
• Monitor pests and taonga species through real-time digital tools

The aim is to create small predator-free sanctuaries on the Maunga to help protect the most vulnerable species.

Learn more about our strategies

Vegetation restoration

Bringing back the WF7 Pūriri ecosystem.

The WF7 Pūriri ecosystem was once common across the volcanic landscape and is now critically endangered due quarrying and urbanisation. You can find out more about the ecosystem here. Since 2018, the Authority have been replanting thousands of native trees and plants, including:

• Pūriri, Tōtara, Kahikatea, Kohekohe, Māhoe, Hangehange
• Kānuka, Mānuka, Harakeke, Rengarenga, Toetoe, Kāramuramu

Removing pest plants and replacing them with native species helps restore habitat and food sources for mokomoko, birds, and other native wildlife. It provides a haven for these taonga species. 

The ancestral Maunga of Tāmaki Makaurau are living ecosystems. Our ongoing monitoring work, guided by the Biodiversity and Biosecurity Strategies, helps us understand how and if native wildlife is returning. This information then guides our restoration efforts so the Maunga can flourish again.

Why Fauna Monitoring Matters

Before human settlement and later urban development, the Maunga supported a rich pūriri rock forest ecosystem and diverse number of native species. There was an array of manu (birds), pekepeka (bats) mokomoko (lizards), insects and more. Over time, quarrying, settlement, land modification and invasive species fragmented these ecosystems.

By monitoring fauna across the Tūpuna Maunga network, we can:

• build a baseline inventory of which native species remain;
• track how populations change over time;
• assess the effectiveness of pest-control, planting and restoration;
• identify priority Maunga and habitats for further work;
• support the return or reintroduction of taonga species as part of our broader restoration vision.

This work is a key part of our biodiversity and biosecurity strategies under the overarching Tūpuna Maunga Authority (TMA).

What We Monitor — Fauna, Forest, Future

Protecting rare and endangered species, monitoring taonga fauna, and restoring safe native forest habitat is central to bringing the natural mauri back to the Maunga.

Our current fauna monitoring work includes:

Recent Achievements & Community Partnerships

• Ruru nest boxes — We’ve installed native-owl nest boxes on a number of Maunga with suitable habitat (including Maungawhau / Mt Eden, Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill, Takarunga / Mt Victoria, Te Tātua a Riukiuta / Big King, Pukewīwī / Mt Roskill). These provide safe nesting sites for ruru and help support their long-term population in Tāmaki. In exciting recent developments we have confirmed the occupation of at least two of these boxes during the 2025-2026 breeding season, despite these boxes only recently being installed.
• Community & school involvement — Through a partnership with community group Maungakiekie Songbird and students at One Tree Hill College, ruru nest boxes were built by rangatahi as part of their environmental mahi. Our contractor Pro Climb has installed the boxes high in the trees — ready for ruru to move in.
• Wētā motels — We are rolling out “wētā motels” across the Maunga to start monitoring invertebrate fauna, which are vital to the forest food web. Some of these “wētā motels” have also been built by rangatahi.
• Tāmaki / Auckland wide surveys — Monitoring now covers all 14 of the Tūpuna Maunga, giving us a holistic picture of wildlife distribution and habitat use across the network.

Love Your Maunga, care for pets

Our pets are part of our whānau but on the Maunga, they can pose a risk to native wildlife and ecosystems. Here's how you can help:

·       Picking up after your dog (waste is harmful to soil and waterways)

• Keeping your dog on a lead, especially near native species and tamariki
• Following all Maunga dog rules. Please check carefully, as rules vary between Maunga