Waimaori stream care

The Waimaori stream care programme raises community awareness by way of monitoring waterways. Waimaori provides knowledge and hands-on experience about the freshwater environment, promoting biodiversity and enhancement of freshwater fish habitats.

Workshops are presented with components of tikanga and kaitiakitanga.

Waimaori is seen as an effective tool to reach the community in recognizing the crtitcal importance of caring for our natural and historic heritage.

Waimaori aims to

  • Have students and the community doing hands-on monitoring and re-enhancement work in the stream environment.
  • Educate communities bringing perspectives of ecosytems, river catchment, webs of life, habitat, vegetation, history, Maori concepts of wai, erosion, fish passage, etc. into the experience and knowledge of students.
  • Encourage communities to take action alongside iwi, government agencies and councils to improve streams and their catchments.

Waimaori provides

  • A fun hands-on approach to the study of water quality and aquatic life.
  • Directive measures for reducing impacts on streams, sustaining, restoring waterways and riparain planting.
  • Learning and resources to achieve on-going monitoring of adopted sites by students, teachers and action groups.
  • Education about species habitat and the importance of sustaining biodiversity.
  • Science and tikanga combined to an foster holistic approach to enhancement and protection of freshwater.

Waimaori evolved out of the Whitebait Connection, it essentially has all the same ingredients and aims, but has been adopted by tangata whenua of the Nelson Bays region, who recommended the name "Waimaori" meaning freshwater in it's natural state.

Contact

For more information on the programme, call +64 3 545 1752 or 021 119 2255  or send an email to Waimaori stream care.