Central North Island iwi Ngāti Whare has opened a state-of-the-art nursery for propagating native trees and plants at Minginui, about 90km southeast of Rotorua.

Ngāti Whare had its traditional Kaitiakitanga, or guardianship, of the Whirinaki Forest recognised in its 2008 Treaty of Waitangi settlement; dubbed the ‘Treelords' agreement, this remuneration was the largest ever single Treaty settlement, and was shared amongst seven central North Island iwi.

Native forests, once unreservedly threatened by logging, will have some help regenerating.

Part of the settlement covers the Ngāti Whare Iwi planting thousands of native trees in parts of the forest, once existing plantation pine trees are harvested.

Te Runanga o Ngāti Whare chairman Bronco Carson says he and his fellow Iwi commercial board directors realised they would need to source thousands of seedlings a year, and transport them to the forest for planting out.

So they went to Rotorua-based Crown Research Institute Scion 'to find out about potentially creating our own nursery at Minginui – thinking we could not only grow the trees, but also provide employment for our whanau”.

Bronco says the journey was unexpectedly enlightening. 'During a tour of the Scion nursery, we fortuitously came across a team that had just developed world-leading technology to grow native trees.

'It involves taking cuttings from selected trees in the forest, rather than growing them with some difficulty from seeds.”

Now, the Ngāti Whare Native Nursery has already attracted other contracts, including growing thousands of Manuka seedlings for East Coast company NZ Manuka, and providing thousands more native trees for regeneration and riparian planting.

'I think what has since developed shows just how a Crown Research Institute and a Māori-owned business can successfully work together,” says Bronco.

'We have made a big investment, but this is just the beginning of us all growing Ngāti Whare's asset base and balance sheet, so we can make sure our whanau live good lives.”

Scion research and investments general manager Dr Russell Burton says it has been inspirational to work alongside Ngāti Whare, and to see how Mātauranga Māori and science can come together to make a positive contribution to regional development.

'We are honoured and proud to be Ngāti Whare's partner in our shared vision to restore New Zealand's indigenous forests.”

The iwi's million dollar investment includes irrigation booms and tray-filling equipment from Italy, the latest technology from New Zealand's nursery sector, and locally engineered plant tables.

The poly-house that will protect and nourish the young trees can be controlled remotely, over the internet.

Bronco says as well as stimulating training and employment, the nursery will become a live laboratory for local children to learn about growing plants, about the high-level science Scion does, and about regenerating their ancestral forest.

'Our mokopuna will also learn the Ngāti Whare history of sustainable milling, what happened when plantation farming of pinus radiata came along, the effect of corporatisation of the old forestry service, and the closing of mills on our people.

'Most importantly, they will learn the value of kaitiakitanga and the need to protect the forest for future generations.”