Puna Wai
Te Wai Ariki Nui o Te Rangi
Project Acknowledgement:
Te Waiariki, Ngāti Kororā, Ngāti Takapari Hapū have been very privileged
to receive funding from the Te Wai Māori Trustee Limited to develop a
robust our Hapū-centric freshwater plan, as well as develop hau-kāinga
and Hapū capability to manage our wai and undertake monitoring of the
awa within our rohe.
Te Wai Ariki Nui o Te Rangi is the Hapū-led freshwater monitoring
initiative dedicated to understanding the mauri (life force) of the awa
across our tribal territory. The project was facilitated by the Te Waiariki,
Ngāti Kororā, Ngāti Takapari Hapū Iwi Trust and was driven by our
commitment to kaitiakitanga (guardianship), weaving together
Mātauranga Māori and Western science to monitor and assess the Mauri
and well-being of our awa (waterways) for future generations.
This impact report articulates the achievements and work undertaken by
the Hapū Trust over the duration of this project. The report will first highlight the wananga and workshops that were undertaken with whanau and Hapū regarding fresh water and their role as kaitiaki.
Secondly, a further discussion will be shared concerning the Hapū
freshwater plan, which is attached as a separate document. This provides
a comprehensive freshwater plan and framework which is specific to our
Hapū of Te Waiariki, Ngāti Kororā, Ngāti Takapari. This work encapsulates
the Hapū kōrero tuku iho of wai and then goes on to share the Hapū
freshwater statements. This document will provide a Tino Rangatiratanga
approach to managing our taonga wai.
Thirdly, there will be a discussion focusing on the work being navigated
across Crown agencies, including the Northland Regional Council and the
Whangārei District Council. In conclusion, a summary will be provided
showcasing the growth and capability of our Hapū in managing our wai
across our rohe.
In conclusion, this document acknowledges the final report for this contract. Mauri ora
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Impact Snapshot
1000
Facebook view engagement
850
Panui sent to hapū members
30
Tai Tamariki event
25
Te Tiriti wananga
25
Taiao
korero
10
Maramataka wananga
Hapū Wānanga
The Te Wai Ariki Nui o Te Rangi project successfully engaged with Hapū and whānau through a series of wānanga, workshops, whakawhiti kōrero and tai tamariki-focused activities to deepen Hapū engagement in water management and environmental stewardship across our Hapū rohe.
Kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) kōrero with kaumātua and hau-kāinga captured a rich diversity of perspectives on wai as a taonga and the impacts of environmental change they have experienced across our rohe. These kōrero tuku iho assisted us to learn about the maramataka and formed the development of a mātauranga Māori-based freshwater monitoring programme, ensuring that ancestral knowledge was at the forefront of our work and guiding contemporary practices. The interviews also identified taonga species, highlighting culturally significant biodiversity and informing conservation priorities that align with traditional
ecological knowledge.
Tai tamariki-led engagement offered hands-on learning in freshwater monitoring. Participants gained insights into the Ngunguru Awa ecosystem, the kōrero tuku iho of the awa, as well as learning about species identification, water quality testing, and understanding environmental impacts. The outdoor setting fostered a sense of belonging and reinforced their role as kaitiaki, connecting them to the awa through experiential learning.
Overall, these wānanga and workshops have generated a strong interest and provided a platform for learning, discussion, and future planning. Hau-kāinga and Hapū governance explored aspirations for water governance, strengthened whanaungatanga, and enhanced understanding of kaitiakitanga and ngā kōrero o ngā tūpuna. The sessions emphasised shared responsibilities and empowered Hapū members to engage more confidently in environmental decision-making.
Hui with Local Government
The Te Wai Ariki Nui o Te Rangi project, alongside Te Waiariki, Ngāti Kororā, Ngāti Takapari Hapū Iwi Trust, continues to lead critical conversations with Whangārei District Council (WDC) around the
environmental degradation of the Whangārei Harbour, particularly the impacts of poor waste management practices. The harbour, a taonga of
immense cultural and ecological significance, has suffered from decades of underinvestment in infrastructure, insufficient oversight of residential
and waste management discharges, and fragmented planning that has excluded Hapū voices.
The Trust has consistently raised concerns about the cumulative effects of wastewater overflow, stormwater runoff, particularly in areas like Pārua Bay and Whangārei Heads. These issues are complex and often related to poor long-term financial management to ensure robust systems are in place. These challenges have been raised, and they are deeply cultural, affecting the mauri of the water and the wellbeing of our Hapū and the livelihoods of the communities who live alongside it. Through hui and ongoing meetings and submissions in consenting processes, the project has called for more robust monitoring approaches and a shift from reactive compliance to proactive, values-based stewardship rooted in kaitiakitanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Te Ruarangi is a Hapū-led initiative supported by Northland Regional Council, which represents a significant opportunity for our Hapū to assert leadership across environmental spaces. Through Te Ruarangi, the project has been able to advocate strongly for better management of taiao practices, including the integration of tikanga-led water processes that reflect our ancestral knowledge and uphold the mauri of freshwater and coastal ecosystems. It also provides a pathway for our Hapū to shape and influence decisions around land use, biodiversity, climate resilience, and infrastructure development—ensuring that water decision and policy is not only technically sound but culturally responsive to our Hapū values and mātauranga. The Trust has consistently raised concerns about the cumulative effects of wastewater overflow, stormwater runoff, particularly in areas like Pārua Bay and Whangārei Heads.
These issues are complex and often related to poor long-term financial management to ensure robust systems are in place. These challenges have been raised, and they are deeply cultural, affecting the mauri of the water and the wellbeing of our Hapū and the livelihoods of the communities who live alongside it. Through hui and ongoing meetings and submissions in consenting processes, the project has called for more robust monitoring approaches and a shift from reactive compliance to proactive, values-based stewardship rooted in kaitiakitanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Te Ruarangi is a Hapū-led initiative supported by Northland Regional Council, which represents a significant opportunity for our Hapū to assert leadership across environmental spaces. Through Te Ruarangi, the project has been able to advocate strongly for better management of taiao practices, including the integration of tikanga-led water processes that reflect our ancestral knowledge and uphold the mauri of freshwater and coastal ecosystems. It also provides a pathway for our Hapū to shape and influence decisions around land use, biodiversity, climate resilience, and infrastructure development—ensuring that water decision and policy is not only technically sound but culturally responsive to our Hapū values. and mātauranga.
12
NRC - Te Ruarangi Meetings
6
WDC waste management meetings
5
WDC quarterly meetings
Impact Snapshot
Hapū Freshwater Plan
Te Mauri o Ngā Wai Ariki - Ngā Puna Waiora is a Hapūdeveloped freshwater plan created to lead the protection, governance, and restoration of wai within our rohe.
This framework is built around the concept of Puna Waiora, living fresh-water springs that give life, carry mauri, and keep the environment and people well. In te Ao Māori, puna are places of healing and renewal. When looked after properly, they continue to sustain and support everything connected to them. If neglected, the life and mauri they carry begin to fade. Te Mauri o Ngā Wai Ariki uses this concept to guide freshwater management in the Te Waiariki rohe. The framework is made up of five Puna Waiora. Each puna represents a key area of responsibility for how the hapū cares for, restores, and makes decisions about wai. When each of these puna is tended to with care, the health of the wai will return and the relationship between people, place, and atua can remain strong.
The purpose of Te Mauri o Ngā Wai Ariki - Ngā Puna Waiora is to:
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Assert the mana motuhake and Tino Rangatiratanga of the Hapū in matters concerning wai
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Ensure Hapū values, mātauranga, and decision-making processes are embedded in all freshwater
management planning and activities.
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Provide a Hapū-led tikanga-based structure for decision-making, planning, and restoration.
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Support intergenerational education and capacity-building by guiding uri whakatupu in how to protect, restore, and sustain wai in accordance with Hapū tikanga and mātauranga.
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Support the practical implementation of the Te Mana o te Wai (NPS-FM) through hapū-led strategies and action.
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Support Hapū participation in local government plan changes, resource consent processes, regional planning, and catchment-based management.
Freshwater Management UnitsThe hapū FMU catchments are spatially displayed in the map, with the numbering on the map corresponding to the
following areas:
1 - Ngunguru
2 - Horahora
3 - Pātaua
4 - Taiharuru
5 - Puhipuhi
6 - Waiariki
7 - Whangārei Harbour
8 - Tutukaka Harbour
9 - Ngā Motu (Islands)– Tawhiti Rahi / Aorangi, Mauimua, Taranga
Each FMU represents a unique waterscape with its own characteristics, priorities, and challenges. Some require the protection of aquifers, puna, and headwaters that feed the rohe, while others demand restoration of degraded wetlands, riparian margins, and estuaries.
Each awa that is included within the FMU represents a unique waterscape with its own characteristics, priorities, and challenges. Some require the protection of aquifers, puna, and headwaters that feed the rohe, while others demand restoration of degraded wetlands, riparian margins, and estuaries.
The scoping of awa and monitoring continues to grow as the kai-mahi undertake their assessments and monitoring across our rohe.
In some areas, pressures arise from farming run-off, urban development, or wastewater discharges, while in others the challenges include sedimentation, over-extraction, invasive
species, or the impacts of climate variability.
Harbours and coastal FMUs may require special attention to stormwater, shellfish beds, and the balance of freshwater and saltwater flows, while inland catchments may need greater focus on repo restoration.
FMUs require that the Hapū freshwater values are upheld, implemented, and maintained across all aspects of freshwater decision-making within the rohe.
Hapū Kaitiaki
Hapū Kaitiaki consist of whānau from our Hapū. They uphold the sacred responsibility of tiaki (guardianship) of the wai (freshwater) across our rohe. Their role is grounded in kōrero tuku iho , whakapapa (genealogy), wairua (spiritual essence), and tikanga (customs), ensuring that all freshwater bodies are protected, restored, and enhanced.
Hapū Kaitiaki are responsible for monitoring and protecting the wai within our rohe, upholding its mauri through both mātauranga Māori and science-based methods. Guided by kōrero tuku iho, tikanga and wairua, they observe and report on the health of rivers, puna, repo, and groundwater, while exercising the rangatiratanga and customary rights of the Hapū in freshwater.
Their role strengthens whānau engagement and intergenerational knowledge, advocates for Hapū authority and responsibilities, and leads restoration initiatives to ensure wai is safeguarded as a taonga for present and future generations.
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Freshwater Monitoring
A key achievement of the project is the integration of training in both Mātauranga Māori and Western Scientific methods. Kai-mahi are applying the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar) to guide monitoring based on lunar phases, ecological rhythms, and tikanga. This methodology aligns with tohu and the ability to be more attuned to the taiao and the whakapapa within this space. Our kai-mahi are learning kōrero tuku iho of Atua Māori that relate to certain areas across our wai.
Environmental DNA Sampling:
eDNA sampling has been undertaken in certain awa to detect biodiversity and support our understanding of native and introduced species present. These results will be analysed alongside Hapū observations and contribute to a long-term species database.
Monitoring endangered fish species:
Īnanga spawning sites have been scoped across our rohe to understand how to support these taonga species to thrive. Surveying of rare black mud fish has been undertaken within our rohe to understand its presence and the habitat and whakapapa associated with this taonga. Further work is expected to continue later next year.
Insect Identification Training:
Kai-mahi are learning to identify different insects and learn about the interconnection of whakapapa within the Awa, to understand the quality of wai.
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