Ground truthing for He Rau Ake Ake

Over the past two weeks, the He Rau Ake Ake project team of experts have been ‘ground truthing’ the whenua. Our team have been out across all of our farms, bringing to life the information and data to see how we can best utilise the whenua and safeguard the cultural sites of significance.

What is ground truthing?

Ground truthing is the process of verifying or confirming information, especially from remote sensing or imagery, by physically observing and documenting the features or conditions on the ground. For Whāngārā Farms, the ground truthing being undertaken will help ensure that what is observed in the imagery and data from our experts aligns with the reality on the ground, which is crucial for accurate interpretation and analysis.

The He Rau Ake Ake team, having carried out their initial desktop analysis and mapping, have been testing their data by seeing and walking the whenua. 

It is during these team visits where the kōrero is about what is the very best opportunity to optimise the whenua in line with our values.  This is where the team offer their whakaaro from their own area of expertise until we collectively agree on the best options all things considered.  This importantly involves using our farm managers knowledge and experience of the whenua they farm on our behalf, whilst safeguarding the cultural sites of significance. 

The expertise on hand is drawn  from four key disciplines: livestock management, land use classes, biodiversity and forestry. 

The project team continue to forge ahead with He Rau Ake Ake taking shape.