A new horizon for Morning Star Reserve

Stepping into a space that is normally occupied by Government agencies and Councils, Ngāi Tahu recently hosted a public hui to consult with community members interested in the future of the Morning Star Beach Recreation Reserve in Tāhuna (Queenstown).

Jana Davis, Co-Chair of the Mana Whenua Komiti for Morning Star Reserve, says he was pleased to have the opportunity to connect with local residents and conservation and recreation groups to hear their aspirations for the vested area and the wider reserve.

“Many of the community groups share our vision of restoring the whenua, removing exotic pest species, and enhancing native plantings and they are already doing some great mahi in the reserves within the Kimiākau (Shotover) catchment. Our goal is to build a reserve management plan that provides the opportunity for Kāi Tahu whānau to connect to this place,” Jana Davis says.

“Although the vested area of the reserve is relatively small and includes significant built infrastructure, it remains a site of strategic importance. It provides Kāi Tahu whānau with a unique opportunity to demonstrate our capability in reserve management while reconnecting with the whenua, improving it for our generation, and those generations to come,” he says.

In October 2023, the Minister of Conservation vested a 0.8 hectare portion of the reserve, which is located on the banks of the Kimiākau awa (Shotover River), in Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu (Te Rūnanga). Vesting is a legal process that passes administration and control of a specific area to the vested authority – in this case Te Rūnanga. As part of this process, Te Rūnanga is developing a Reserve Management Plan for the vested whenua and seeking public input into this plan. This work is being undertaken in collaboration with a komiti comprising of representatives of our seven kaitiaki Papatipu Rūnanga which hold mana whenua over the vested reserve.

Shotover Jet operates out of the vested area of reserve which means that the business now pays rent to Te Rūnanga instead of Te Papa Atawhai (the Department of Conservation). Under the vesting conditions, these funds will be available for Te Rūnanga to reinvest directly in the vested site or in reserve land within the wider Kimiākau catchment. At the public hui on 7 December, local residents expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity to connect with Mana Whenua Komiti members and kaimahi from Te Rūnanga and environmental consultancy Kauati Limited, who are working on the development of the Reserve Management Plan.

Mana Whenua Komiti members on site at Morning Star Beach Recreation Reserve – left to right: Deborah Paterson, Emma Wyeth, Jana Davis and Stacey Reynolds.

Following on from a site visit and wānanga the previous day, Mana Whenua Komiti members Stacey Reynolds (Moeraki), Emma Wyeth (Puketeraki), Deborah Paterson (Waihōpai) and Jana Davis (Hokonui) shared some background on their connection to this kaupapa with the local community during the public hui.

Feedback gathered from attendees at the public hui will be considered during the preparation of the draft Reserve Management Plan which will identify the vision, objectives, policies and priorities for the reserve and reserve pūtea over the next five to ten years. Community members will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft plan in mid-2025.

More information about Morning Star Reserve is available here.