The health of New Zealand’s Northland forests is a key 2016 priority for applauded landscape scale restoration initiative, Reconnecting Northland, and its new Programme Manager, Eamon Nathan.

Born and raised in Wellington, Eamon is of Te Roroa, Ngāti Torehina, Cretean, Ngāti Arera, Irish and Scottish descent.
Eamon has a degree in Hapū Development from Te Wānanga ō Raukawa and is currently pursuing a Masters in Indigenous Studies at Te Wānanga ō Awanuiārangi.

His professional journey includes designing and coordinating education and training programmes for wānanga and industry. He also led a research project for Ngā Pae o te Māramaanga. Most recently, Eamon worked for Te Roroa in co-designing and establishing the Te Roroa Centre of Excellence.

Eamon is very enthusiastic about joining Reconnecting Northland “which is a bold and extremely visionary initiative”.

Reconnecting Northland is a large-scale ecological restoration programme and is the first of its kind in Aotearoa. It is a collaboration between WWF-New Zealand and the NZ Landcare Trust and funded by The Tindall Foundation, Foundation North and HSBC Water Programme.

“Reconnecting Northland is about connecting people with the land and using that connection as a vehicle for positive environmental and social transformation,” Eamon said.

“Working with and within communities is rewarding, working in the environment can be transformational, and I love Te Tai Tokerau – my whakapapa ties me to the whenua, which, to me, is what’s at the heart of Reconnecting Northland.”

Eamon said the Northland forests and their ecosystems were a key target area for the programme and presented an opportunity to develop more effective and efficient ways of working with communities and stakeholder organisations to improve forest health.

“Reconnecting Northland is also focusing on developing tools to optimise the socio-economic dimension of the programme to contribute to more resilient, more cohesive and more innovative communities throughout Northland,” he said.

Reconnecting Northland will continue to consolidate the existing projects of Kiwi Coast, Warawara Whakaora Ake, Ngā Roto Tāpokopoko and Go With The Flow.

For more information about Reconnecting Northland, visit www.wwf.org.nz/about_us/partnerships/reconnecting_northland/