The restoration of Maungatautari has already begun!

In 2005, pests were removed from two pest proof fenced enclosures on the mountain and already the results are clearly visible to visitors as new seedlings spread across the forest floor and the increased bird life can be heard.

Kiwi, takahe, kaka, kokopu (native fish), hihi (stitchbirds) and popokatea (whiteheads) have already been reintroduced into these pest free areas. Maungatautari is coming alive!

As the remaining pests are removed from the main mountain and the ‘lost species’ returned, the result will be a large self-sustaining ecosystem with a diverse range of native species interacting as a community for the first time on the New Zealand mainland for possibly 1,000 years.

A resource document has been prepared by Janica Amoore and Karen Denyer to assist people to restore native vegetation around Maungatautari. It is called “What to plant in the Maungatautari Ecological District” and is published by Environment Waikato.