Iwi and DoC start 1080 talks

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 557, 11 October 1994, Page 10

Iwi and DoC start 1080 talks

About 40 members of the Whanganui River iwi, accompanied by Department of Conservation staff, visited Mapara, south of Te Kuiti recently to look at possum and other pest control. The bus trip picked up people en route and a group from Tu wharetoa joined the party at Erua near National Park for the journey north. Mapara is an area of about 1500 hectares which has been treated over three consecutive years with 1 080. It has also been treated

with talon bait for rat control and had an extensive goat shooting programme. The area has the most concentrated population of paired kokako in the North Island, with numbers increasing from 45 to 70 birds in the last couple of years. The Whanganui and Tuwharetoa iwi were welcomed by Phillip Rite of Rerehau at Mapara who invited them to enjoy the beauty of the bush there. Staff from DoC's Te Kuiti field centre led a trip through the bush, and the

visitors found it outstanding for its lushness, the growth of seedlings on its forest floor and the density of its overhead canopy of trees. It was also alive with birdsong.

Wanganui regional conservator Bill Carlin says it was a remarkable comparison to much of New Zealand's bush and in particular to the greyness seen earlier in the day at Erua where

possums are having a devastating effect on the kamahi forest. Mr Carlin said the allday bus trip was arranged to give iwi a chance to see for themselves some of the benefits of possum control and to realise that the use of 1080 doesn't mean the end of life in the forest. "The kereru which flew by and perched on the nearby trees as the speeches of welcome were being made were ample evidence of that," he said. "The department is planning some possum control work in the Whanganui National Park next year and the bus trip was one way to raise the issue with iwi: It's just the beginning of discussion on the issue." "It was a good day out, the weather was kind and it gave everyone a chance to talk in an informal way," said Mr Carlin.