As councils and Crown research institutes aim to fulfil their Treaty of Waitangi obligations to engage with iwi in decision-making processes, many are looking to refine how they engage with Māori.

Environment Canterbury Resource Management Officer, Katherine Hill has spent the last six years investigating Mātauranga Māori in science,  to develop effective strategies that will merge traditional Māori knowledge with western science.

“Two-way information sharing is vital for collaboration and effective management, and as part of my research, I have tried to pinpoint what our organisation needs to be doing to develop successful iwi partnerships,” she says. [Read more…]

Ka whakakao mai nei kā hau
Ahakoa i ahu mai i hea
Te Kete Ika a Rākaihautū te tuatahitaka
Nei anō te reo ka tukuna i te hau o whakamihi
Ki kā reo, ki kā mana, ki kā whakaihuwaka kua whakarauika mai i raro i te whakaaro he ora te whakapiri
Ka ora anō tā tātou kete kai i a tātou e whakapiri ana
Hei whakatikatika anō i tēnei kōrero o mua
Ko ngā hau ki ētahi wāhi, ko ngā kai ki Orariki

The Canterbury Regional Council and Ngāi Tahu respectively hold statutory and tikanga responsibilities in relation to Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere). [Read more…]

On 3-8 May, Te Taumutu Rūnanga once again hosted the Waterwise Te Waihora hui and it is now in its third year. It is a collaborative project between the Untouched World™ Charitable Trust, Environment Canterbury, Canterbury Community Trust, and Ngāi Tahu. This year,16 young people from nine Canterbury schools, supported by three Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) (outdoor education and sustainability degree course) mentors, had the opportunity to develop citizenship and leadership skills while learning about the complexity of water management. [Read more…]

Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere may have a reputation for being one of the most polluted lakes in New Zealand but Canterbury University Professor of Freshwater Ecology Jon Harding is very optimistic about the future of the lake.

Improving the lake’s water quality won’t be an easy fix he says but with time and the right help, he believes Te Waihora can be restored to good health. [Read more…]

The Whakaora Te Waihora Science Hui will be held at the Lincoln Event Centre, Meijer Drive, Lincoln, 9am to 1.30pm on Thursday, 6 November.

Whakaora Te Waihora is a cultural and ecological restoration programme for Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere, led by Ngāi Tahu and Environment Canterbury. As part of this programme, several science and engineering investigations are underway including: [Read more…]

Ko ngā hau ki ētahi wāhi, ko ngā kai ki Orariki – No matter which way the wind blows you will always eat at the pā of Orariki, Taumutu

Te Waihora was once famous for its abundant mahinga kai – particularly pātiki – but how is the flounder fishing now?

In May, a team organised by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, set nets at a range of sites around the western side of the lake in beautiful autumnal weather. The work is part of the Whakaora Te Waihora programme aimed at restoring the lake, particularly the quantity and quality of mahinga kai. The target species for the day were pātiki. [Read more…]

After eighteen months on the job, members of the Whakaora Te Waihora planting team are enthusiastic about progress to date – and about planting plans for the year ahead. The team has planted in excess of 140,000 plants over 70 key sites around focus catchments since they first started restoration planting in the spring of 2012; and by autumn, they hope to have another 50,000 plants in the ground with a further 45,000 planted during spring 2014.

Workstream team leader Andy Spanton says the team has developed a good team of contractors who are doing great work in the field.

“We’re building a lot of knowledge and capacity around what we do and how we do it, responding to challenges and incorporating feedback along the way,” says Andy.

“Our focus on site selection keeps improving all the time and we’ve earmarked around thirty new planting sites to work on this autumn. This year is about building on what we’ve already achieved; and we continue to work with landowners and agencies including Selwyn District Council, Christchurch City Council and the Department of Conservation , so we all get the wins together.” [Read more…]

Environment Canterbury and Ngāi Tahu celebrated the planting of 100,000 plants at Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere on Friday.

Whakaora Te Waihora is a joint restoration programme between Ngāi Tahu, the Ministry for the Environment and Environment Canterbury and is New Zealand’s largest collaborative freshwater clean-up effort. It is a shared commitment to restore the cultural and ecological values of Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere and over 60 guests attended a commemorative planting.

Addressing guests at a planting ceremony in the Kaituna catchment on the lake, Environment Canterbury Chair of Commissioners Dame Margaret Bazley said Whakaora Te Waihora was important for all Cantabrians and New Zealand as a whole.

“Environment Canterbury is proud to be playing its part. In 2011, a relationship agreement and shared commitment between Environment Canterbury and the Te Waihora Management Board (representing Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu) was signed to confirm the restoration and rejuvenation of the mauri and ecosystem health of Te Waihora.

“Whakaora Te Waihora is all about working together. This collaborative work has seen many successes over the last two years. I acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of the co-governors and the project teams led by Amanda Ward. [Read more…]

Tuna given a helping hand to migrate at Te Waihora

An idea hatched by Te Taumutu Rūnanga has helped tuna migrate from Te Waihora to the sea after some were becoming stranded due to the steepness of the beach crest. After approaching Environment Canterbury’s engineering team for a helping hand, a day of earthworks were carried out on 29 April to lower part of the beach crest and enlarge a naturally formed V-shaped invert in the lake-edge. [Read more…]

Rā whānau

James Musson 5 May
Bailey Nutira – Gilmour 13 May
Jahkeil Nutira 17 May.

Historical research

For those of you who are trying to study the history of Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) the Christchurch City Libraries are a great place to start. [Read more…]