The council had sought an exemption, but MPI determined that an exemption under section 179A of the legislation did not apply, meaning it needed to be replanted.
Pōhowera Park project manager Colette Doughty said the council had agreed to plant 5.37ha in native forest by February 2029.
It will be replanted in blocks of a minimum of 1ha, with a minimum width of 30m and will contain trees capable of growing to 5m.
“We expect to achieve a canopy cover of more than 30% within 10 years,” Doughty said.
While MPI does not require any reporting, the council will establish its own in-house reporting.
The reserve has been renamed Pōhowera Park, named after the banded dotterel or pōhowera seabirds, which nest in the area.
It was also a popular recreation area for cyclists and walkers.
Friends of Pōhowera has been formed, with the first community planting day held last month.
A second planting day was due to be held on Friday, September 11, while Kaikōura High School students were due to visit the site next week.
The Friends of Pōhowera has been busy forming partnerships with local community groups, schools and businesses, she said.
“We will look at having a monthly working bee over the summer to keep this group going and establish a watering plan to care for the plants.”
Volunteers have joined the Friends of Pōhowera to help plant 700 trees. Photo / Kaikōura District Council
A partnership has been formed with tourism operator EcoZip, which will provide native plants from its nursery – paid for by its customers.
The council will now work on upgrading the main entrance and carpark, clearance across the logged area and installing a 1km track and wooden platform.
Staff are looking at options to develop the area, including a nature play and rest area with a flying fox, a dog exercise area, upgrading trails, installing signage to tell stories of the area and creating a disc golf course.
“It [disc golf] seems a relatively easy thing to install and a cheap option for families to enjoy,” Doughty said.
“And we will seek ideas from the high school students when they are here.”
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.