The idea

Ngahere Korowai is an ambitious, intergenerational environmental justice project to restore the hills and waterways surrounding Porirua East back to a rich ecosystem that is thriving with life.  This project aims to rekindle the relationship between people and nature, with the community voice leading positive change.

The idea was sparked by a visit to Zealandia in 2019, when members of the Aotearoa Pasifika Men’s Group asked, “why don’t we have that in Porirua East?” From here, ‘Ngahere Korowai’ was created in hopes of foresting a cloak of native trees that wraps itself around the Porirua East community to protect its residents into the future.

The goal of Ngahere Korowai is to restore122 hectares within Belmont Regional Park into a living resource that reconnects communities to their traditional knowledge and relationship with te taiao.

Ngahere Korowai’s vision

To grow the leadership of our Porirua East community to take care of our ngahere, our water, our harbour. In 50 years, everyone in our community will be living inconnection with te taiao – able to gather our kai, our rongoā, and leaving alegacy of kaitiakitanga for our mokopuna to continue, ake, ake, ake!

In the long term, Ngahere Korowai wants to see flocks of kākā and kererū flying around Porirua East and the sound of rūrū in the night.

• Ngahere Korowai is a collective impact project to focus all of our efforts and collaborate to bring this vision to life.
• Ngahere Korowai lifts up local residents, amplifying their valuable insights, imaginations and capabilities to contribute.
• Ngahere Korowai supports the tino rangatiratanga of Ngāti Toa Rangatira to achieve their aspirations in this, their rohe.

A range of restoration activities

Ngahere Korowai is involved in a range of activities to help restore the area, including planting natives, trapping introduced predators in reserves and backyards, hosting litter clean up days and monitoring the water quality in the local catchment area.

The collective now holds regular planting days –more than 200,000 native plants have now been planted as a first step to restoring an ecosystem that will become home to species we want to see return to Porirua East– native birds, insects, plants and tuna.

The Ngahere Korowai Collective

Ngahere Korowai is run as a collective working together to achieve this vision. Members of the Ngahere Korowai Collective include:

• Aotearoa Pasifika Men's Group
• Zealandia
• Ngāti Toa Rangatira
• Greater Wellington Regional Council
• Enviroschools
• Friends of Maararoa
• Friends of Belmont Regional Park
• Mountains to Sea
• Capital Kiwi
• Kāinga Ora
• Porirua City Council
• Le Fale Jobs and Skills Hub
• Nature School
• Local residents