(Updated 8 December 2025)
The Scale of Devastation
Fire and Emergency New Zealand, the Department of Conservation, and other agencies –supported behind the scenes by hapū, iwi and the local community – worked to control the fire. After several days of extensive aerial firefighting and ground support, significant rainfall helped to bring the fire to the point of safety.
But the real challenge is only just beginning.
The ecosystems affected are unique assemblages of alpine plants and animals. Lizards and insects have perished, and much habitat will have been lost. The harsh alpine environment means plants are slow growing, and recovery will be a long road.
Assessing fire damage. Photo: Department of Conservation
A Ten-Year Commitment to Restoration
In response, mana whenua Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro placed a 10-year restorative rāhui (Rāhui Whakaora) over the affected areas of our rohe. This rāhui protects the whenua while long-term restoration work is planned and implemented.
As spokesperson Te Ngaehe Wanikau notes:
“This rāhui is about healing the land, bringing people together with purpose, and restoring the mauri of Tongariro. Visitors can still walk the tracks, but the burn areas need time. This is about creating a future where healing the maunga becomes a shared kaupapa.”
The rāhui forms the foundation of Maunga Ora, the long-term restoration framework led by Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro in partnership with DOC.
The future looks like Maunga Ora – the wellbeing of the mountain.
Crews assessing fire damage. Photo by David Casey / DOC
Why Alpine Ecosystems Need Intervention
The alpine plants of Tongariro National Park are slow growing, but these ecosystems have experienced repeated disturbance in the form of volcanics and fire, so we know they can recover – but there’s one big risk:
The main threat to recovery is introduced species.
The disturbed area is the perfect seeding ground for invasive plants, which are often opportunistic and fast growing. Without intervention, invasive weeds will colonise faster than native species can re-establish. What grows back will look nothing like what was lost, and the mauri of the area will be changed forever.
For regenerating native plants, an additional threat comes in the form of introduced browsers that like taking advantage of new growth.
Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro and the Department of Conservation together hold the vision and expertise to manage this recovery.
The work ahead will focus on management of invasive plants and introduced browsers. This is patient, unglamorous work that will span years, not seasons. What is clear now is that with a fire of this magnitude, there will be significant long-term effects to ecosystems, flora and fauna.
Help Prevent Further Damage → Donate Here
The Funding Gap
Yes, we pay taxes, but this is not a budgeted event. The Department of Conservation provides technical expertise and operational support but operates under constrained budgets. Ngāti Hikairo and DOC must work together to deliver the scale of restoration required. This is where public support becomes critical.
Donations made through the New Zealand Nature Fund help fill this gap by directing funding specifically to on-the-ground recovery work that aligns with the rāhui and with the Maunga Ora kaupapa.
Tongariro Habitat Fire Damage. Photo: Department of Conservation
How NZ Nature Fund Supports Maunga Ora
We are an independent charitable trust that raises funds for conservation projects, directing 100% of public donations to the conservation work itself. When you donate through NZ Nature Fund for Tongariro fire relief, your contribution goes directly to supporting Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro and the Department of Conservation’s recovery efforts in the fire zone.
This model allows donors to contribute to conservation work with confidence that their money reaches the field teams doing the actual work.
Support Maunga Ora → Donate Here
What Recovery Looks Like
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing has been reopened to visitors, however the Mangatepopo Track remains closed for visitor safety.
Behind those closures, the work of understanding and responding to the fire’s impact has already begun. Ground crews will spend months assessing vegetation loss, identifying areas where native species survived, and planning the staged recovery that will unfold across the next decade.
The restorative rāhui creates space for this work to happen without the pressure of returning to “business as usual” for tourism. It acknowledges that healing takes time, and that rushing the process serves no one.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing Track has now reopened. Photo: Libby O’Brien / DOC.
Your Role in Recovery
You don’t need to be able to volunteer in the field or donate hundreds of dollars to make a difference. Every contribution adds up to the sustained effort that brings landscapes back from devastation.
This is one of those moments where we come together as a country, where small individual contributions create large outcomes. The fire burned for days. The recovery will take years, and it starts with the resources available now.
Make Your Contribution Count
The maunga needs all of us. Share this story. Talk about why alpine ecosystem recovery matters. And if you’re able, donate what you can to support Maunga Ora – the wellbeing of the mountain.
Your contribution supports the decade-long commitment to restoration that will determine whether Tongariro National Park recovers or becomes a landscape of weeds. The work is unglamorous, patient, and essential. It requires funding that lasts years, not just seasons.
This is how collective action works: small contributions from many people create the resources needed for big outcomes. Every dollar helps. Every donation matters. Your contribution counts.
