page_title: Maungatautari
section_title: Ecological area
hierarchical_section_title: Maungatautari / Ecological area
context_page_description: Maungatautari is a mountain, rural community and ecological area near Cambridge in the Waikato region in New Zealand's central North Island.
  The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "mountain of the upright stick" for Maungatautari.
  The Maungatautari Restoration Project is the largest ecological restoration project in New Zealand.
  The project is engineered to remove all non-native pest mammals and predators and restore endangered native flora and fauna to Maungatautari. There is no intention to restrict all introduced birds, but efforts will be made to control exotic wasps. It includes private land and a government-owned scenic reserve administered by Waipa District Council. It is a community project managed by the Maungatautari Ecological Island Trust.
  Maungatautari Marae and Te Manawanui meeting house located on the northern edge of the mountain, overlooking the Waikato River. It is a meeting place for the Ngāti Korokī Kahukura hapū of Ngāti Hourua and Ngāti Ueroa, the Ngāti Raukawa hapū of Ngāti Korokī and Ngāti Mahuta and the Waikato Tainui hapū of Ngāti Korokī and Ngāti Raukawa ki Panehākua.
context_section_description: Maungatautari is an eroded andesitic volcano. It was chosen as a suitable site for the project for a number of reasons, including the diversity of its terrain, the relative integrity of natural areas in spite of some human engineered changes, the commitment of surrounding communities, and the feasibility of fence-construction given surrounding developed terrain. 
  Some elements of the diversity of Maungatautari took scientists by surprise. In April 2006, the discovery of 100 silver beech trees caused considerable excitement in the botanical community. The tree, native to southern New Zealand, had not previously been believed to be present on Maungatautari, although researchers who came to investigate emphasized that the tree had probably been established during the last ice age. The largest of the trees were estimated to be several centuries old. Jim Mylchreest, Maungatautari Trust's chief executive, pointed out that the trees were not only exciting in themselves, but also for the fungi and insects they might host that also may not have been expected to be present on Maungatautari.
caption: Hochstetter's frog discovered on Maungatautari December 2004.
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