Kaitiakitanga in Action: Ngawaka Whānau Restore Māhuki Island Ecosystem

For more than 40 years, Kaumātua Opo Ngawaka and his wife Elaine have served as kaitiaki of Māhuki, a remote island located in the Hauraki Gulf near Aotea Great Barrier Island. As reported by RNZ on 15 October 2026, the couple, alongside their son Jeremiah Ngawaka, are the only three residents on the island, where they are dedicated to restoring the whenua and providing a permanent sanctuary for their tamariki and mokopuna. Since moving to the island in the early 1980s, the whānau has witnessed a significant ecological transformation. Opo Ngawaka recalled that the land was once dominated by invasive ship rats and gorse, with the local gannet (tākapu) colony suffering as a result. Through years of dedicated management and the removal of livestock, native vegetation has begun to reclaim the landscape. Opo noted that the gorse eventually acted as a nursery for native trees, leading to the return of indigenous bird life, including piwaiwaka. The restoration efforts are now being bolstered by Tū Mai Taonga, a Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea-led conservation project. Working alongside trapper Summer Fladgate, Jeremiah Ngawaka has been active in predator control, maintaining hundreds of traps to protect the tākapu nesting sites. This mahi represents a shift from earlier years when the island's environmental outlook was considered negative. Today, the thriving bird colonies serve as a testament to the resilience of the ecosystem when supported by active guardianship. Beyond environmental restoration, Opo is currently building a papakāinga adjacent to the family home he constructed himself. He told RNZ that the goal is to ensure his whānau always has a place to return to, regardless of where they are in the world. For the Ngawaka whānau, kaitiakitanga is a philosophy that views humans as an extension of the natural world, requiring a collective effort to ensure history does not repeat itself in terms of environmental decline.