HAKO RESTORATION PROJECT

“Ngāti Hako has walked the whenua of Hauraki for close to a thousand years — nurturing generation after generation to thrive, succeed, and grow within a whaitua (domain) that sustains us all. Our commitment has always extended beyond our people, to the wellbeing of the ngahere and the wider taiao. For when the ngahere thrives, so too do our people. And when the taiao flourishes, the generations to come will flourish also.

For Ngāti Hako, the maunga of the Kaimai–Mamaku are not simply landscapes. They are tūpuna, kaitiaki, and living ancestors. Upon their slopes lie the pathways of our tīpuna, the wāhi that sustained their lives, and the places that continue to shape our identity and whakapapa today. These are the sites that carry our stories and maintain our enduring hononga with the ngahere. As Ngāti Hako, we hold fast to the practice of kaitiakitanga — not just as a responsibility, but as a way of life.

The Hako Restoration Project is about far more than planting trees. It’s about restoring the mauri of the sacred whenua - breathing life back into the ngahere, and re-establishing sanctuaries where manu can thrive, taonga species can return, and our people can once again walk beneath the cloak of Tāne Mahuta with pride and belonging.

Guided by tīkanga, kawa, and the principles of kaitiakitanga, every step is grounded in our duty as guardians of this whenua, ensuring that our decisions are for the benefit of both present and future generations.”

- Larn Wilkinson, Project Manager