**4. A novel approach of space planting with native woody vegetation**

Native vegetation already grows on many parts of grazed hill country [42], having established naturally via seeds, and provides a valuable slope stabilization role (**Figure 4**). Native trees are typically not planted in space-planted systems in hill country. One likely reason for native trees not being regularly planted in spaceplanted systems is the difficulty of planting and protecting native seedlings in the presence of livestock. Despite this, there has been a growing interest in using natives in hill country silvopastoral systems [43, 44], although there still remains a paucity of methodology on establishing native trees in space-planted systems in hill country. Considering this, an establishment trial was undertaken to learn whether it is possible to protect and grow kānuka seedlings in the presence of livestock, with kānuka being one of the most common natives already growing in hill country [42]. This research is ongoing, but this chapter presents preliminary results from this trial.

**Figure 4.**

*Mature kãnuka trees growing in hill country (top left), spaced kãnuka seedlings on erosion-prone N slope at Gladstone (top right), a kãnuka seedling enclosed in its protector (bottom left), and a kãnuka seedling a t0 (bottom right).*
