In 2019, Pan Pac purchased the Fisher block (total area 298ha), located just north of our Whirinaki mill. The Fisher block includes approx 68ha of well-established indigenous (native) forest. We partnered with Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust (QEII) to place the reserve into a secure QEII covenant, under the name Pākuratahi Bush.

While Pan Pac will maintain ownership of the land, the QEII covenant ensures Pakurātahi Bush is preserved for future generations. In June 2021, Pan Pac received funding approval through the Government’s Jobs for Nature Fund to fence Pākuratahi Bush and plant an additional 12 ha of native plants on bare land areas to speed up restoration. A network of possum bait stations and DOC200 traps has been strategically installed throughout the reserve to effectively manage pests and predators.

Pākuratahi Bush is unique for Hawke’s Bay given the forest’s age and previous protection from animal livestock and pests. For these reasons, the native tree population mixes of kahikatea, mataī, tītoki, karaka and kānuka hold particular ecological and local cultural importance. With the rare species available, Pākuratahi Bush will allow seed and plant nursery opportunities to assist in local and national programmes of native forest regeneration.

In August 2024, Pākuratahi Bush became home to two species of rare native plants – Pittosporum obcordatum (heart-leaved kohukohu) and Olearia gardneri (Gardner’s tree daisy). Olearia gardneri was once ranked as Aotearoa New Zealand’s rarest tree, while Pittosporum obcordatum has low numbers across the country and is classified nationally vulnerable.

The establishment of this reserve is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 15 – Life on Land.

Two years apart – 2022 (left) and 2024 (right). Recently planted natives are thriving in Pākuratahi Bush thanks to the deer fence and planting programmes.