KAHIKATEA BUSH TRUST

This 200-year old six-hectare stand of indigenous wetland forest of Kahikatea or white pine is one of the last around the shores of Lake Rotorua and grows on lands belonging to Ngati Rangiteaorere. It is a remnant of a much larger area of kahikatea milled during the 1870’s to supply the building needs of Ohinemutu. Some of the trees are up to 300 years old; once an important source of food and materials, this forest remnant continues to hold and nourish the iwi’s mauri or life force.  For Ngati Rangiteaorere its preservation is a matter of supreme importance; today it is managed by a trust on behalf of its beneficial owners. Tai Eru Morehu is the person responsible for this Trust's enormous success.

In 1996 The Kahikatea Trust was advised by Rotorua District Council that its trees were growing into the flight safety path of Rotorua Airport and would have to be cut down. The Kahikatea trust met with all other Rangiteaorere taonga trusts and reshaped itself to address protection of the stand. The Te Ngae Farm Trust and Tikitere Geothermal trust provided funds to their destitute Kahikatea Trust to progress the court cases. The litigation settled in 2003. Rotorua District Council reimbursed all costs. Ngāti Rangiteaorere Kahikatea Trust receives a percentage of the landing fees earned by Rotorua Airport Ltd. It also holds a guaranteed directorship position on the Airport Board. This position is held by Mr Bill Kingi, and is due for review later this year.



The Kahikatea Trust in turn has developed a tree maintenance and health programme whereby a small percentage of the trees had to be clipped in height so as to prevent breech of the air flight security path. A team of experts were brought in to carry out this most sensitive operation. All clipping and pruning work was carried out by hand and branches were broken back into small twig size and spread over the ground as a protection canopy. Today the Kahikatea stand has been weeded and over 80,000 native scrubs have been planted around the Kahikatea stand.

Ngāti Rangiteaorere Kahikatea Trust also administers the Rangiteaorere Lake Rotorua Foreshore Reserves on behalf of the Tribe. This land is swampy and covered in scrubby rubbish vegetation; however it provides a natural buffer to the Kahikatea Bush Trust. Ngāti Rangiteaorere has plans to clear, fill and grass the Reserve. It will then serve as an ideal camping site for urban whanau to use in the summer for up to 7 days.