Tū Mai Taonga, restoring people and place on Aotea (Great Barrier Island)

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Tū Mai Taonga is a Māori-led conservation project on Aotea (Great Barrier Island). It is unique in its indigenous Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea-led approach — underpinned by Te Ao Māori principles that connect people and place.

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The project involves removing rodents and undertaking one of the world’s largest-ever feral cat eradications on an inhabited island. It forms part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s wider goal to become Predator Free by 2050.

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Tū Mai Taonga not only gives the people of Aotea the opportunity to return home and restore the island through science and tikanga-based (traditional) conservation - it also uplifts and empowers its whānau to reclaim what has been lost: language, culture, economic sustainability, and the health of the environment.

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By expanding its mātauranga (Māori knowledge) and working together to restore these treasures, the project sets a course for generational change for its mokopuna (grandchildren). Ultimately, Tū Mai Taonga strives toward its end goal - a future where both people and place thrive.