HĀKUTURI
Native Nursery.

About Us

Hākuturi
In Māori legend, Hākuturi are the forest protectors. 

They watch over the forest. We look to the story of Rātā, who wanted to honor his father’s bones, which lay far away at sea. He needed to build a canoe quickly to retrieve them.

With his concerns weighing heavily on his mind, Rātā chopped down trees without saying karakia (tīkanga). He worked hard and nearly completed the waka before going to sleep. But when he returned to the forest to cut more trees, he found that the ones he had felled were standing once again. The Hākuturi had restored them and confronted Rātā about his actions. Realising his mistake, Rātā felt deep remorse. In the end, the Hākuturi helped him build his canoe overnight.

Hākuturi. The forest beings. Those who stand small but staunch, those who do their work quietly.

The wisdom we draw from this story is that, even when we believe our cause is urgent, we must remain mindful of all life around us. This is a lesson we see echoed in the way we live as a civilisation.

When it comes to Te Taiao (our environment), we have prioritised extraction from Papatūānuku (Mother Earth), creating unsustainable practices and disrupting ecosystems. Perhaps nature is expressing its distress due to our disconnection from it. And perhaps that same disconnection is why we, too, experience distress.

Now is the time to give back in small ways while we still have the opportunity.

Hākuturi shows us what that can look like.

Located at 22 Arthurstown Road Hokitika, West Coast, we are dedicated to supporting the regeneration of native plants where we can. Our online platform allows you to easily see our plants and keep up to date with our projects.