- Hon Tama Potaka
More than $1 million in Government funding will help restore some of Taranaki’s rarest coastal habitat and protect kōkako in the region’s north-east, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka says.
Our Government is investing $1.04 million in projects led by Te Kāhui o Taranaki and the East Taranaki Environment Trust, alongside an expected $1.2 million in cash and in-kind support.
“This is what good conservation investment looks like. Government backing local ambition, with Iwi, landowners, community groups and volunteers bringing funding, time, expertise, and practical support to the table,” Mr Potaka says.
“By working together, taxpayer funding goes further and we can achieve more for the special places and species of Taranaki.”
Te Kāhui o Taranaki will receive $432,840 to map, monitor and restore critically endangered coastal turf ecosystems within the Taranaki Iwi rohe.
The Iwi-led project will carry out restoration planting and involve local communities in the long-term protection of this rare habitat.
East Taranaki Environment Trust, which operates as the East Taranaki Environment Collective, will receive $603,760 to expand predator control and monitoring within a 46,000-hectare landscape in north-east Taranaki.
The project is co-led with Iwi, supported by local volunteers and will help create a safer, more connected landscape for kōkako and other native species.
“From the coast to the ngahere, this is mahi tahi in action. Our Government, Iwi, landowners, community groups, and volunteers combining their strengths to deliver lasting gains for Taranaki’s environment.”
The Taranaki projects are the first to be announced from the 2026 DOC Community Fund, with further announcements to follow across the country.
Notes to editors:
- Te Kāhui o Taranaki’s project is titled Restoration of Critically Endangered Coastal Turf Ecosystems within the Taranaki Iwi Rohe. It is expected to attract $123,600 in co-investment.
- East Taranaki Environment Trust’s project is titled North-East Taranaki Kōkako Landscape Project. It is expected to attract $1,085,000 in co-investment.
- The DOC Community Fund is a contestable Crown fund supporting community-led projects that protect and restore threatened species and ecosystems.
