He Tipu is a collective kaupapa of ngā hapū o Tauhara to develop the former Taupō Native Plant Nursery into a self-sufficient, regenerative eco-center, which will provide employment, training and education, workforce, plants and a maara kai for our whānau as part of Stage 1. Stage 2 will see the building of our well-being centre and cultural centre. And Stage 3 will see us finally build our Forest garden and Eco-village.

The site requires a lot of work and the first stage in the project was to do an extensive cleanup as it had been derelict for a number of years. But this mahi just provides for part of the journey to our ultimate destination. Our revenue earning enterprises will fund our charitable services - we are a not-for-profit organisation.

The 20 hectare site holds over 20 greenhouses and nursery areas, workshops and sheds, water tanks and water bores, geothermal piping and irrigation. There are two houses and two office blocks on site, all of which will be used at some stage for our site management and training facilities.