The asparagus fern at Kaiwaka has thrived in the quiet, unintruded bush, steadily expanding throughout the area over years. Asparagus fern, originally native to South Africa, is described as a “rapid coloniser”** and notoriously climbs and strangles native plants. Much of the bush at Kaiwaka is smothered in asparagus fern and a thick blanket covers the forest floor, particularly in the deeper areas of bush. The current state of the bush is the worst I have ever seen it. Over several trips to Kaiwaka, I collected a TCDC bag’s worth of asparagus fern from the bush each day. Removing the fern from where it doesn’t belong in Kaiwaka, and taking to Auckland, where the fern is equally out of place.

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For as long as I can remember, there has been an odd structure on a ledge of the cliff’s face in Kaiwaka. According to a local who lives nearby, the structure was built approximately over a decade ago by high schoolers. Beer bottles found beneath the cliffs, the bottles long since overgrown by asparagus fern, date back to 2007. It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to conclude that the platform was erected for the purpose of enjoying the view provided by the height of the cliffs, with a beer in hand. Near where the platform is positioned are caves, possibly incredibly tapu burial caves, deserving of respect regardless. The presence of alcohol in an area as spiritually loaded as those caves (particularly given the history of massacre in the area) indicates the scarcity of awareness regarding local Maori history and understanding how to respect places like Kaiwaka. Whereas my Pākeha grandfather knew to stay away from the caves, somehow this consideration has dissipated in recent decades. The unintentional collision of cultural norms between the drinking platform and nearby caves creates a friction that articulates the necessity for more education about Maori tikanga and history in the community. The replica platform provides the opportunity to drink on the platform, much like the original builders, instead placed with deliberate intention on the thin line between consideration of place and emulating the original act of ignorance. 

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Asparagus fern can be disposed via refuse transfer stations, or by burning. Through a process of collecting, drying, burning, and grinding the remains of asparagus fern, I have created an ink that I intend to gift to Ngati Hei elder Joe Davis. The iwi attained their Deed of Settlement from the Crown in August 2017, so a little more than a year later I’ve created this ink for the iwi to use for their own documents in future. Transforming the purpose of asparagus fern through burning from something destructive to a practical tool for the iwi to use as they see fit. 

This exchange with place, of material, and people, is a contribution to Kaiwaka and Ngati Hei. This marks the beginning of the project Introduced Species that I plan to extend beyond my degree. To work with Ngati Hei until the asparagus fern is removed from Kaiwaka and the drinking platform is dismantled, only then will this project be completed. 

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