Kia ora whānau,
I hope your start to the year has been good so far. I would like to share my experience of two summer seasons working with Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC). There is a team of students put together each summer by the HBRC with about 8-10 people that have interests in forestry and conservation. During this time everyone has the chance to become more confident, learn new skills, and take on leadership roles.
Over these two seasons I have been given opportunities to get experience and be more confident in my own capabilities in the management of native and commercial forests, all the while being on our whenua and other places such as Māhia and Central Hawkes Bay. My involvement with the forestry management team has taken me all over our takiwā and enabled me to practice my kaitiakitanga.
For me, the re-establishment of my own relationship to the whenua has been through working on it, particularly in wāhi taonga sites and other areas behind closed gates that aren’t usually accessible to most people.
There have been times I have struggled in situations like traversing steep terrain, pruning big branches or just working through the heat of the day, however there is no place I would rather work.
Lastly, the money that is earnt working for HBRC can contribute to your study fees of the coming year, a car or whatever you see fit.
The HBRC is looking for more Maungaharuru Tangitū rangatahi to work in the forests, especially Tangoio and Tūtira – if you’re interested, contact the forest manager Ben Douglas at ben.douglas@hbrc.govt.nz or 027 7067455 and book your spot!
Ngā mihi
Deane
Deane and teammate measuring tōtara growth and form
Pruning tōtara
Deane installing a self-setting possum trap
The team (Deane is standing fourth from the left)
Cutting Japanese Honeysuckle out of the trees at Tūtira
