Project Mahitahi Jobs for Nature

Project Mahitahi builds on work that iwi, landowners, and communities in the Nelson Whakatū area have been doing for many years to restore the mauri (or life force) of the Maitai/Mahitahi catchment. Over the next five years, Project Mahitahi will provide local employment opportunities for 54 people, who will plant around 125,000 plants (including taonga species), restore 1.3 hectares of wetlands, and carry out pest plant control throughout the whole catchment.

This vital project is a collaborative effort between Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Koata Trust, Te Ātiawa Manawhenua Ki Te Tau Ihu Trust and Nelson City Council, with $3.7 million in support from Ministry for the Environment and Department of Conservation’s Jobs for Nature funding.

Jobs for Nature staff are working across six different employers, who are providing employment support including training where required. These are: Kūmānu Environmental, Ngāti Koata Trust, Fulton Hogan, the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, Easy Trails, and Nelson City Council.

The range of roles include working on planting and pest plant control, possum control, trapping for mustelids and rats, volunteer coordination and visitor services, biosecurity, nursery production, and administrative support.

For current updates on work and roles, see the Project Mahitahi newsletters in the News and Media section.