In 1984 Manuel and Evelyn Tuanui donated 1,239 hectares of their forested land to be protected as a habitat for the Chatham Island Taiko, Parea and other Chatham Island birds.

Description

The Tuku Nature Reserve is the only nature reserve on the 'main' Chatham Island (the others being on offshore islands).  The large 1,239 hectare (  ?  acre)    area has a diversity of habitats and is a key site for conservation of  Chatham Island' endemic ecosystems, flora and fauna.  It comprises an expanse of peat-covered tableland dissected by the Tuku a Tamatea river and its tributaries.
Most of the reserve is covered in forest dominated by tarahinau (Dracophyllum arboreum).  The valley forests also contain much Kopi (Corynocarpus laevigatus), karamu (Coprosma chathamica), hoho (Pseudopanax chathamicus) and matipo (Myrsine chathamica).  Tree ferns are also abundant.
The reserve supports many indigenious plant species; over 145 taxa have so far been formally recorded.  Nine nationally thearthened species occur: Chatham Island kakaha (Astelia chathamica), rautini (Brachyglottis huntii), wavy hair grass (Deschampsia caespitosa), Barker's koromiko (Hebe barkeri), keketerehe (Olearia chathamica), Chatham Island sheild fern (Polystichum 'chathams'), the greenhood orchid (Pterostylis micromega), Chatham Island nikau (Rhapalostylis 'chathams').
The reserve is also important for endemic and threatened fauna.  Notable residents are
 
 

Parea      (Chatham Island Pidgeon)  Hemiphaga novaseelandiae chathamensis

Chatham Island Fantail Rhipidura penitus

Chatham Island Taiko Pterodroma magentae

Predaters within the reserve Feral Cat  (Felis catus)  Feral cats are wide spread throughout the forests on both Chatham Island and Pitt Island and are the descendants of the domestic cats brought over by the Europeans.  With their keen sense of smell and excellent night vision, Taiko adults and chicks have no chance if they are caught on the ground by these efficient predators.  Feral cats pose the greatest threat to over a dozen species endemic to the Chathams.  Over the breeding season around 100 feral cats are removed each year from the Tuku Reserve.   Brush tailed Possum  (Trichosurus vulpecula) The Possum was introduced to the Chathams in 1911 (King 1990), from the east coast of Australia.  As with the rest of New Zealand, the idea was to establish a fur industry.  They may be associated with the decline of the Taiko, as possums are known to take eggs and chicks of birds (Brown et al.1993).     Other forest birds such as the parea, (Chatham Island Pigeon) Hemiphaga novaseelandiae chathamensis, have benefited greatly with the removal of large numbers of possums, with their population increasing from 42 parea ten years ago to over 200 today.

Ship Rat  (Rattus rattus) Kiore  (Polynesian Rat)   (Rattus exulans) Ship Rat  (Rattus rattus) Norway Rat  (Rattus norvegicus) Mouse  (Mus mus) All 4 species of rodents found in New Zealand are present on the Chatham Island.  The kiore (Polynesian Rat) arrived with the Moriori, the first inhabitants of the islands, the other two species of rat and the mouse arrived with the Europeans.  Ship rats and kiore thrive in high numbers throughout the bush and are known to take both the chicks and eggs of other petrel species (Imber 1994).    Weka  (Gallirallus australis hectori) The Weka was introduced to Chatham Island from the South Island of New Zealand in 1905 (Oliver 1955).  The sub-species introduced, Buff Weka, G.a. hectori was endemic to the eastern South Island but disappeared from there by the 1930's, however today it thrives in large numbers on both  Chatham Island and Pitt Island.  Weka are known to catch and kill Pterodroma petrels and have been implicated in the destruction of the colony of Cook's Petrel (Pterodroma cookii) on Codfish Island (O'Brian 1990). There was also evidence that a weka was responsible for the disappearance of a Taiko chick from a breeding burrow during the 1995/96 breeding season.  Weka feathers having been found in the entrance of the burrow at the time the chick vanished.

A fence was constructed on the western side of the Tuku Reserve in 1986.  The dramatic recovery of the forest in the 14 years since the exclusion of the stock is astounding.  It is hoped that the reserve will completely fenced within the next two years.

Once stock is removed even seemingly dead trees are able to regenerate.