The iconic bare golden hills of Hawke’s Bay are beautiful but not original and there is a lack of biodiversity in this landscape.
Before human settlement, the region had a covering of native podocarp/ broadleaf, beech forests with some grasslands. Maori cleared some forest for cultivation and hunting, and later European settlement had a greater impact as forests were felled for timber and pasture, and exotic animals and plants were introduced.
Our region’s vegetation today
Only 10% of the region remains in native vegetation. Efforts are now being made to preserve remnants of forest on farmland, to protect reserves and to allow other areas to regenerate. Hawke's Bay Regional Council, QE II National Trust, Department of Conservation, Forest and Bird, plus a large number of farmers and conservation/environmental groups are working to ensure the future of our biodiversity, of animals as well as plant species. Many landowners, marae and volunteer groups are planting native plants to restore something of the vegetation that once surrounded us. Covenants are being placed on bush remnants on private land, and reserves have been protected while Te Urewera National Park is a superb natural world in its virtually original state.
Original vegetation
The low lands of Hawke’s Bay to the coast was highly forested before human settlement with a huge diversity of trees, shrubs and other plants as well as birds (including the flightless moa), reptiles, insects and fish species. Mountain ranges would have supported beech with volcanic soils covering many areas after the Taupo Eruption of AD186 (dated from Roman and Chinese historical literature) remained largely barren. The coastal margin of much of the area consists of steep unstable faces rising from wave cut platforms, with few beaches. These faces probably never supported tall forest and the current vegetation probably reflects the original vegetation. The region supported many unique plants and animals – frogs, snails, insects, fish, and birds including moa.
Look here for an article on the native vegetation of Hawke’s Bay and the impacts on it, by Land Management Officer Neil Faulknor.
Planting Native Trees in Hawke’s Bay is available from Hawke's Bay Regional Council for $10. This book provides information for farmers, conservationists and home owners on suitable native plants for a variety of Hawke’s Bay landscape types – plains, hill country, coastal – with tips on planting for survival.