Located in the subantarctic, about 465 km (290 miles) south of Aotearoa New Zealand, Maukahuka (Auckland Island) is a stronghold of remarkable plants and animals. As a nature reserve and World Heritage site, this island is home to some of the world’s rarest animals, like the toroa / Gibson’s albatross, tētē kākāriki / Auckland Island teal and Auckland Island rail. In the bitingly cold surrounding oceans, tohorā / southern right whales, pakake / New Zealand sea lions and hoiho / yellow-eyed penguins thrive in the protection of a marine reserve. The island has exceptionally high seabird diversity and is a migration hub for seabird species that roam the globe.
The island supports more than 500 species of native plants and animals, over 100 of which are not found anywhere else in the world. The wild landscape is dominated by formidable cliffs carved by pounding seas, windswept coastal rātā forests, alpine tussock, peat fields and unique megaherbs. This landscape is of great cultural and spiritual significance for Māori, with a long history of Polynesian voyages to the islands.
Sadly, we are rapidly losing these precious plants and animals. Over the last 200 years, populations of introduced pigs, feral cats and mice have inflicted severe harm. As a result, large swathes of forest have disturbed soils and stunted understories. Iconic carpets of megaherbs have been reduced to individual plants in the few places that are inaccessible to pigs. Now, 25 native bird species can no longer breed on the island, with smaller vulnerable populations surviving on small islands nearby. Without deliberate action, plants, animals and ocean health will continue to decline.
Set to be one of the largest pest eradication projects in history, the aspiration for Maukahuka is groundbreaking in scale and complexity. The project will take 8 years to restore 46,000 ha (114,000 acres) of precious subantarctic island. This will secure a thriving island ecosystem for centuries to come and improve the resilience of the surrounding southern Pacific Ocean to the effects of climate change. It is the final step in more than 30 years of investment, research, innovation and restoration of the New Zealand subantarctic region. The legacy will be enduring, with little ongoing cost or intervention needed. Scientists have already seen the results of rewilding methods on islands like nearby Enderby Island:
Once funding is secured, restoration experts are poised and ready to begin, with innovative technologies and detailed action plans at the ready.
SIR TIPENE O’REGAN onz New Zealand Ngāi Tahu kaumātua (elder / leader), Educator, Historian, Businessman and Academic
