A group of Ngati Porou community representatives including Radio Ngati Porou spent a night in remote Raukumara Ranges to view first hand the damage caused by introduced species on our native flora and fauna. The group was flown into the Waingakia catchment behind Maunga Hikurangi. The Waingakia flows into the Mata river whichs feeds the Waiapu river.  Rough, steep, remote country that needs help urgently.  The Raukumara is being eaten from the canopy down by possums and from the forest floor up, by deer.  Add to this rats eating seeds and bird eggs, stoats killing chicks in their nests and the picture isn’t looking good for our ngahere.  There is no understory (regrowth) happening, thin canopy allows light into the forest floor drying everything up and causing erosion when it rains. The group saw lots of slips in the ngahere, dead tree tops were easily seen when looking at the canopy. They witnessed dead totara caused by continual browsing from possums (one tipuna rakau totara estimated to be over 800yrs old).  In a bush you would expect to be full of birds, they only saw a few small birds, no kereru, tui, karearea or kaka.  The dawn chorus was non existent in a place you would expect it to be deafening. There will also be a story on the hikoi this Sunday the 23rd on Marae, TV1 at 10.00am