​​

On Aotea, we are re-indigenising conservation by bringing whānau home to reclaim our Māori language and culture, to heal the land with our own hands. 

​

Tū Mai Taonga is a Māori-led conservation project on Aotea (Great Barrier Island). Led by the Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea iwi (tribe), the project is underpinned by indigenous Te Ao Māori principles that connect people and place.

The project involves removing rodents and undertaking one of the world’s largest-ever feral cat eradications on an inhabited island. It forms part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s wider goal to become Predator Free by 2050.

​

Find out how we’re making Aotea predator free

​

Tū Mai Taonga not only gives the people of Aotea the opportunity to return home and restore the island through science and tikanga-based (traditional) conservation - it also uplifts and empowers its whānau to reclaim what has been lost: language, culture, economic sustainability, and the health of the environment.

​

Find out how we’re reclaiming our language and culture

​

By expanding mātauranga (Māori knowledge) and working together to restore these treasures, the iwi project sets a course for generational change for mokopuna (descendents). Ultimately, Tū Mai Taonga is making a way for both people and place to thrive as one connected taiāo (natural environment).

​

Watch our people talk about the Tū Mai Taonga mission