A Pōhutukawa tree in Kāwhia is in the running to take out Tree Of The Year Aotearoa. 2022 marks the first year of the Rākau o te tau awards, which aims to recognise significant trees across the country. Described as one of the ‘most culturally significant living taonga for all New Zealand,’ the 1000 year old sacred Pōhutukawa known as Tangi Te Korowhiti is understood to be the final mooring place for the Tainui canoe after arriving in Aotearoa from Hawaiki 800 years ago. Five other trees are in the running to take out the inaugural award, including a pear tree, a Rāta, and a magnolia tree in the gardens of an old mental asylum. Voting is now closed, and the winning tree will be announced on June 5.
Recently discovered food pits in Tamahere have been protected by a new reserve. Preliminary excavations for the Waikato Expressway in 2015 found nine pre-European storage and cooking pits, with human remains dated to the 1700s later uncovered in 2018. The historically significant area has now been preserved in a 1.8 hectare reserve, called Tirohia Ki Maungatautari. Ironically, archaeologists believe that the pits would never have been discovered if it wasn’t for the new expressway. Ngaati Korokii-Kahukura representative Harry Wilson told Tamahere Forum that ‘the biggest thing for me was actually returning back again, and getting access onto these grounds that we knew about but weren’t actually able to come and physically touch again.’
A large group of kororā have washed up at far north Tokerau Beach. 40 dead blue penguins were found by a local resident last week, and the Department of Conservation reported a further 20 had been found earlier in May. DoC worker Graeme Taylor told RNZ the unusual deaths were due to climate change, with changing sea temperatures affecting food levels and, in turn, the penguin’s resilience to colder winter weather. The kororā is known as the world’s smallest penguin, reaching a mere 25cm, and are currently classified as ‘at risk’ due to their declining population. DoC expects the frequency of these events to increase as the effects of climate change continue.
