Case study: From ecological restoration to community transformation in Taranaki Mounga
On a clear day, Taranaki Mounga (previously Mt Egmont/Mt Taranaki) rises above the plains, its presence inescapable. For generations, it has been a source of identity and belonging for Ngā Iwi o Taranaki. Today, it is also the centre of an ambitious conservation and governance project, one which offers a living case study in how strategic philanthropy, done well, can contribute to Aotearoa. CSP Partner Hannah Knight recently spent time hearing about the project with Sean Zieltjes, Poutohu Matua Taurua / Co-Project Director, and our own Bill Kermode. Hannah shares some of her insights.
When I first sat down with Sean, and Bill, I was struck by the way they spoke of Taranaki Mounga not just as a place of ecological significance, but as a living story that has shaped the identity, culture, and community of those who call it home. Their reflections told a story that began with conservation and evolved into something much larger: an example of how philanthropy, government, iwi, and local communities can co-create intergenerational change, and how ecological and community restoration are intrinsically linked.
Why Taranaki?
Taranaki is uniquely suited to this kind of long-term investment. Within a relatively compact landscape - 280,000 hectares spanning alpine to marine environments - lies a microcosm of Aotearoa’s ecosystems. The climate is temperate, “anything can grow here,” says Sean, and the community’s deep affection for their Mounga provides a cultural foundation. “Explicitly or implicitly, if you come from Taranaki, you love your Mounga,” he adds.
These natural and social conditions helped position Taranaki as one of a dozen sites identified by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and NEXT Foundation in 2014 - 15 as eligible for transformational ecological investment, designed to protect areas of unique natural heritage across Aotearoa.
The mechanism chosen was the Tomorrow Accord: philanthropy would fund a defined period of ecological restoration; once milestones were achieved, the Crown would step in to underwrite and sustain those gains. For funders, this offered certainty and a clear exit horizon. For government, it meant leveraging private capital to accelerate ecological resilience. For the region, it meant hope, sustainable progress, and a shared long-term vision.
Building the partnership
The project was a consortium of community, council, private sector, and philanthropic partners. It was launched in 2016 as a partnership between NEXT Foundation (where Bill was then CEO), DOC, eight local iwi (Ngā Iwi o Taranaki), Shell New Zealand and Toi Foundation (previously TSB Community Trust). Manaaki Whenua / Landcare Research and Jasmine Social Investments later joined.
From the beginning, iwi partnership was central. Treaty settlements were reshaping governance in the region, and iwi leaders were involved early with the expectation that reciprocity and shared decision-making would be woven into the DNA of the project.
Guidance came from local iwi leaders, who articulated values that became the abiding principles of the work - reciprocity, respect, and kaitiakitanga. This was philanthropy alongside: a forum of reciprocal learning where conservation leaders learned from intuitive local hunters, and the team deepened their understanding of te ao Māori (the Māori worldview). Building te reo Māori capability opened new ways of seeing and understanding, as if discovering a new colour, which ultimately informed and shaped project direction and outcomes.
He kawa ora – Back to life
The Taranaki Mounga Project, a $24 million, landscape-scale restoration partnership, initially centred on restoring ecosystems and reintroducing native species long absent from the region. The achievements are impressive - possums eliminated from 9,000+ hectares, ungulates such as goats and pigs removed, and 34,000 hectares spanning the National Park and Ngā Motu/Sugar Loaf Islands restored. Endemic manu (native birdlife) have rebounded - including the reintroduction of toutouwai (North Island robin), and kiwi, and whio (native blue duck) numbers have climbed to several hundred from near extinction.
Taranaki became the first ungulate-free national park in Aotearoa, and a flagship example of large-scale conservation under the Predator Free 2050 programme. The community now manages 62% of traplines, checking tens of thousands of traps annually.
But by about year three, the project confronted a new reality: ecological gains alone don’t build durable resilience. Conservation rests on people. Volunteerism could only go so far. Many lacked time, resources, or pathways into this work.
This became an inflection point, which prompted a strategic pivot. Philanthropic partners backed a decision to go “narrow and deep”, creating employment pathways for young people. Partnering with local providers working with 14-16-year-olds on the cusp of risky life choices, the project created cadetships and ranger programmes. More than 25 young people have since been employed, mentored, and given the chance to belong.
Sean reflects: “When your own privilege is shown to you, it’s a gift. For us, that gift was recognising that restoration was as much about restoring community as it was about restoring ecology.”
The dance of top-down and bottom-up
A common critique of strategic philanthropy is that it’s top down. This project shows a different story, one of dance. The initial injection of philanthropic capital provided rigour, accountability, and urgency. But over time, the trust and respect built allowed the project to flip into a bottom-up mode shaped by iwi, communities, and young people themselves.
The result is not a model to copy-paste, but offers a set of universal learnings identified by Bill and Sean:
Values alignment is critical. Operating at the frontier of projects requires high trust. Shared values are key to this.
Long-term, multi-year commitments give projects space to adapt.
Funding needs to consider not only outcomes but operations and administration.
Capacity building - especially investing in young people - is the hardest and most transformative work.
Collaboration requires humility - sometimes being “the ones doing the dishes.”
Ecological restoration succeeds when community restoration is embedded within it.
A forever project
Through Treaty redress, Te Kāhui o Taranaki Mounga (the collection of treasured peaks that sit within Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki, including Taranaki Mounga) has been recognised as having legal personhood, with a co-governance board of iwi, Crown, community, business, and philanthropy established to protect the Mounga into perpetuity. Its values, drawn directly from iwi worldviews, are now enshrined in legislation, offering a unique legal and cultural framework for the future.
What began as a time-bound project under the Tomorrow Accord is now a forever project, a living foundation for generations to build on and draw pride from.
Why this matters for strategic philanthropy
This story is an example of the effective outcomes that can come from the intersection of business and altruism:
Business-like rigour - clear milestones, finite investment periods, accountability frameworks.
Human-centred collaboration - deep respect for iwi leadership, building belonging and capacity for youth, and recognising community as the ultimate custodian.
As Sean puts it: “We thought we were doing ecological restoration. In the end, it was about how many friends you can make, how many people feel a sense of belonging. That’s what sustains the work.”
Closing reflection
Taranaki Mounga stands as a blueprint for what strategic philanthropy can look like on the ground in Aotearoa. The principles that underpin its success - iwi-led vision, shared governance, and philanthropy as both catalyst and a driver, extend far beyond one mountain.
The Mounga has always been there, but its story has evolved. It is no longer just a physical backdrop, it is a living example of what becomes possible when iwi, philanthropy, government, business, and community step into genuine partnership.
Ultimately, this is a story of reconnection: a community re-weaving its relationship with its ancestral mountain, and philanthropy stepping in to convene, collaborate, partner, enable, and then stand back so others can lead.
As Jamie Tuuta, Taranaki iwi leader, reflects, “The Maunga will outlast us all - our responsibility is to protect and restore it for those who come next.”
That is the kind of impact philanthropy can aspire to - lasting, grounded, and deeply connected to people and place.
Hannah Knight is Director of Philanthropy for 0 to 60 (Rod Drury) and a CSP Partner. We are grateful to Hannah and Rod for gifting Hannah’s time to bring us this story.