A large forest and wildlife reserve in the Wairarapa has been officially gifted to the people of New Zealand by the local iwi.
The Rangitāne iwi fought to own the 942-hectare Pūkaha Forest but in an emotional ceremony on Saturday handed it over to the Prime Minister and the rest of the country.
The Crown was welcomed onto the land that they now lay stake in. A piece of land with enormous significance for its iwi, Rangitāne.
"We're a humble small iwi but gifted with generosity to share such a wonderful taonga to Aotearoa," says Sonya Rimene from the Rangitāne Tū Mai Rā Trust.
Pūkaha extends from just north of Masterton to the southern fringe of the Takapau Plains.
It's now home to a wildlife centre, a large environmental education facility, three full-time Rangitāne carvers and a nocturnal boardwalk.
This is the land Rangitāne's ancestors lived, full of kauri and totara, and many native species. It is the taonga, or treasure, of the iwi who fought long and hard to get it back in a Treaty settlement.
As part of the Treaty settlement which was finalised in 2017, Rangitāne made the significant gesture to give the reserve back to the people of New Zealand.
Today's handover was an emotional one: "A very emotional day, there's going to be lots of crying, there's going to be lots of crying for the sadness for the memories for those that have fought for this in the Treaty claims that are not with us today," says Rangitāne representative Tina Te Tau-Brightwell.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the handover is generous and significant, but also important to protect the area from the growing number of pests.
"By gifting the forest to the people of Aotearoa you are providing an opportunity for all New Zealanders and the government to join you in the protection of Pūkaha."
May 1 was chosen for the handover for a reason.
"Today represents the 10th birthday of Manukura, our white Kiwi, hence that is why we had this date set but unfortunately Manukura passed away in January this year," says Te Tau-Brightwell.
The ceremony is a milestone in a long journey, but one that brought many communities together.
