About
CUE Haven is owned and managed by the CUE Haven Community & Management Trusts (New Zealand registered charities).
The trustee and advisory board include individuals who have diverse backgrounds and expertise in kaitiakitanga, environmental sciences, business, finance, IT, project management and community work.
The C-U-E in CUE Haven stands for Cultivating Understanding (Mātauranga) & Enlightenment (Māramatanga). Our vision is for CUE Haven to be a space where people from diverse backgrounds can explore nature, interact, share ideas and develop an understanding about themselves, other people, the environment, and make connections between what we value, our behaviors and decisions.
CUE Haven is an excellent example of individuals, the public and private sectors all working together for the common good to develop something special and leave a legacy – a community native forest reserve for generations to enjoy.
History
The original idea for CUE Haven developed in 2003, when Aucklanders Thomas and Mahrukh Stazyk decided to establish a retreat where people from all walks of life and with different world views would come together to relax, share ideas and learn to disagree without being disagreeable. They hoped the retreat would provide participants a stimulus to embark on a journey of understanding and enlightenment.
They purchased a 24+hectare property overlooking the Kaipara Harbour in October 2003 and named the property – CUE Haven. C-U-E standing for Cultivating Understanding and Enlightenment
The CUE Haven property was an old dairy farm and that had transitioned to grazing beef cattle. As the Stazyks were busy with other projects in 2003, they leased the property to a local farmer to graze his cattle. In 2007 the farmer informed them about issues with the water quality in the stream at CUE Haven as it was getting affected by the run off from cattle grazing on the property and on the neighbouring farms.
Concerned about the effect of grazing and the lack of public native bush reserves in fast expanding Auckland, the Stazyks decided that instead of building a retreat, they would discontinue grazing and restore the farm into a native nature reserve for the community to use and enjoy into perpetuity.
A grant from the Department of Conservation’s Biodiversity Advice Fund provided funds for consultant ecologist Rodney Straka of Scrub Ltd., to do a detailed assessment of the ecological characteristics of the property and to prepare a biodiversity restoration plan. The property goes from sea level to 140 meters and there were some existing forest remnants on the property. The plan was to create a sustainable forest eco system by restoring connectivity between these forest remnants to enhance biodiversity and wildlife, and also improve water quality in the CUE Haven stream that discharges into the Araparera River and the Kaipara Harbour just 2 km away.
The restoration plan provided operational and technical guidance for the ecological restoration of the property. As the objective was to create a forest reserve the community could explore, walking tracks were also incorporated in the plan.
Restoration began in 2008 with 550 trees being planted by members of the community and Year 6 students from St Kentigern School through the Trees for Survival Program.
Since 2008 over 5,000+ amazing volunteers have helped plant in excess of 170,000 native trees and constructed over 3 km of walking tracks and boardwalks. Additionally, over 3.5 kms of access roads have also been established around CUE Haven.
Since 2008 there has also been extensive pest control with bait stations and various traps throughout the property to control rats, possums and mustelids.
A cottage was in built in 2009 to accommodate volunteers and in 2010 the old milking shed was converted into a workshop and small plant nursery.
With the pioneer planting mostly completed by 2016, the CUE Haven Community and Management Trusts, NZ registered charities, were established in 2017. The CUE Haven Community Trust (CHCT) owns the property and the CUE Haven Management Trust manages the property and reports to the CUE Haven Community Trust. The accounts of the two trusts are consolidated for reporting to Charities Services.
On 1 July 2017, the restored property was gifted by the Stazyks to the CUE Haven Community Trust to be used into perpetuity by the community for education and quiet enjoyment.
In addition to the protection provided to the native trees in the CUE Haven trusts, once the plantings reach the required maturity, the trees will also be protected with a QEII Open Spaces Trust covenant.
Enrichment planting of long living canopy trees and infrastructure improvements are ongoing. In 2020, a grant from the Department of Conservation Community Fund provided funding for ecologists at Scrub Ltd to develop a CUE Haven Management Plan to help guide enhancement planting, maintenance and pest and weed control for the next 10 years.
In 2019-2020 the community assisted with the building of a viewing platform at the top of the property which rewards people walking up the hill with panoramic views of the Kaipara Harbour. The viewing platform, Te Rite o Taranaki, was formally named and opened on 11 December 2020 by our local kaumatua, Haahi Walker (Ngāti Rango of Ngāti Whatua).
CUE Haven Logo
The CUE Haven logo was designed by a friend and CUE Haven supporter, Feroza Fitch, and encapsulates the meaning behind CUE Haven.
The green background represents growth and New Zealand forests, while the white represents purity of mind and spirit.
An iconic NZ tree is the Silver fern and the frond of the fern is locally known as “koru.” According to local tradition, the unfurling koru signifies creation, re-growth and perpetual motion – the unfolding of new life and continual growth and the need to return to the point of origin. Additionally, the logo conveys the indigenous Māori concept of the holistic connection between the spiritual world (upper koru), and the visible physical world and the hidden underworld (lower koru).
Map
There are a number of walking tracks on the property. We have been working on improving access to the property through roading and walking tracks since 2010. This map shows our walking track network:
Feel free to explore all the tracks at your leisure. There are benches for you to relax and have your picnic along the way and at the top and also at the various Wāhi around CUE Haven. Enjoy!!
PLEASE NOTE: Sorry, no dogs allowed except for guide & assistance dogs on a leash.
Telephone: There is No land line and limited mobile phone reception available at the property.
Enjoy your visit and remember: Your safety is your responsibility.
1. Ensure entrance gate to the property is closed after each entry and exit.
2. Park in the car park. Unauthorised vehicles are not permitted beyond the car park.
3. To prevent the spread of kauri dieback, please clean mud from your shoes and Stay on the roads and walking tracks only.
4. Do not go on the Service Roads (S1…S10). These roads are for maintenance staff only.
5. The walking tracks are covered with gravel of varying sizes. Loose gravel can be slippery, especially on down slopes.
6. Watch your steps and do walk slowly. Do not run or walk backwards. Be careful around the stream and the ponds as the ground can be wet and slippery.
7. Do not touch pest traps or bait boxes. Be careful around boundary fences.
8. Do not touch barbed wires or electrified fences.
9. No smoking anywhere on the property.
10. Please leave No rubbish behind – take it home with you. There are no rubbish bins in the reserve. Not only does rubbish attract wasps, but it will also attract other pests like rats and stoats. Please keep CUE Haven pest and litter free.
Stay safe and Enjoy your visit!!
Facilities
Up until 2010 we had no utilities on the property except for electricity at the old dairy shed. We would take bottles of water for drinking and cleaning up, but with no toilet facilities we had to resort to the woods — an interesting challenge considering most of the property was open pasture!
As you can imagine, it was very inconvenient for us and for the volunteers and staff working on the property with no toilet facilities and no clean water to wash up. This greatly limited the scope of our planting efforts because it was not possible to work for more than a few hours a day. We investigated various options and finally decided in 2009 to build a simple, functional cottage to provide basic amenities to people visiting and volunteering at CUE Haven.
The cottage was ready in March 2010. The cottage is used to host volunteers and for educational and community activities.
Because the property used to be a dairy farm, there was a disused milking shed on site. In April 2010 we began work on converting the old milking shed into an onsite nursery and workshop. The nursery was used to stage plants awaiting planting and will also provide additional opportunities for education and community involvement.
Celebration plantings — Register of Plantings
Celebration planting began when a family moving overseas wanted to plant trees to symbolise their ‘roots’ in New Zealand. We welcome people planting trees to commemorate major milestones such as births, weddings, anniversaries, and other joyous events.
Celebration plantings cost between NZ$150-NZ$350 + GST depending on the type and size of tree. Trees are planted between April and September. See our REGISTER OF CELEBRATION PLANTINGS and get in touch if you would like to organise a planting.
Memorial plantings — Register of Plantings
Memorial plantings began when a dear friend passed away in April 2009. He was a keen gardener and planting a tree in his memory seemed an apt memorial. It was then decided to incorporate memorial plantings into the overall restoration plan.
We are presently planting Kahikatea as memorial trees. Kahikatea are endemic to New Zealand and are the tallest native trees, reaching heights of 80 metres. They live several hundred years and so are perfect for a lasting memorial.
Planting a memorial tree is a cathartic experience for the friends and family, providing closure, and you are welcome to have a short prayer service onsite alongside the planting. Trees may be planted for any loved one who has passed recently or long ago, whether in NZ or overseas.
A biodegradable memorial tag which includes a photograph of the loved one, their name, and date of birth and passing is attached to each tree and the same details are included in the REGISTER OF MEMORIAL PLANTINGS.
These plantings are done between the months of April and October to avoid the dry summer months, and the tree plus memorial tag cost $NZD150-350 depending on the size of tree. We are also happy to plant a tree on your behalf.
Please get in touch if you would like to plant a native tree in memory of a loved one.
CUE Haven 