Martin Gibson wrote a very passionate article in the “Gisborne Herald”about the absolute necessity for planting trees, especially natives on the East Coast. I could do not agree more that tree planting is critical to our planet’s future for a multitude of reasons. Trees are part of the solution to climate change, erosion, biodiversity protection, water catchment integrity and much more. For some they are also a source of medicine, warmth, shelter and identity. For me they are the beings who give me a sense of my insignificance and a sense of hope at a spiritual level. So why would I care that Te Kuri a Paoa is an alienated tangata whenua maunga so long as it’s planted in natives? Because like the totara, the rimu and the karaka the first people of the land have their rights to their place to stand. In this case, despite a Te Tiriti claim, they just didn’t have enough cash to buy it back.

The story of Te Kuri o Paoa is part of our history and who gets to decide how that place of great cultural significance gets used and/or who gets open access to it, does matter to some of us. A million trees cannot cover a bitter history. We have to plant in healthy soil to make peace in this place.

Catherine Delahunty