A fine stand of Northland native forest inhabited by several threatened species has been gifted to the public of New Zealand. The gift of 753 hectares of forest south of Kaikohe was announced today by Sandra Lee, the Minister of Conservation.

The forest has been gifted by the family of the late Mr Hilel Korman, a prominent businessman who was the former owner of Hilstan Industries and the founder and chairperson of Holeproof Industries.

Ms Lee described the gift as "a magnificent and extremely generous act of philanthropy by Mr Korman's family."

The forest is dominated by totara, rimu, and two of Northland's key forest trees, towai and taraire. A grant from the Nature Heritage Fund covered the legal and administration costs of the gifting.

Ms Lee said the forest was home to several precious species of native wildlife, most notably the North Island brown kiwi, kukupa or native pigeon, kauri snail and the forest ringlet butterfly.

"The forest will be securely protected as the Hilel Korman Scenic Reserve. I am delighted that the love Mr Korman had for nature and his commitment to conservation will be permanently recognised in the creation and naming of this new reserve."

Ms Lee said the reserve was a prominent local landscape feature and was a strategic source of water for many streams flowing to the Bay of Islands, Hokianga and Kaipara harbours. It adjoins the Hikurangi Scenic Reserve and together the two reserves form the largest expanse of native forest in the Tangihua Ecological District. The new reserve will be administered by the Department of Conservation.

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