Mahika Kai in our Backyard

Mahika Kai in our Backyard  
Nurturing our people and our environment

The Waikouaiti River has always been central to the life of the hapu. The interface between the marine and freshwater worlds is rich in fish, shellfish and waterfowl. It is a transitional environment for migratory species whose life history utilises both food sources. The rich alluvial plains created by the river and proximity of the surrounding hills have supported a diversity of forest types and birdlife. Renewed focus on the degraded state of our freshwater environments and predator beleaguered forest ecosystems has meant contestable funding has been available for restoration projects.

The river and its bounty of life has provided an obvious focus for this effort as has our dependence on the dwindling catch from the sea. This requires that we understand our current landscape and the needs of our mahika kai species more fully. There has been considerable work contributing to this that can inform how we develope our own projects and how we contribute to others.

The objective of this work is to implement a Mahika Kai Strategy. The initial task has been to gather together the information on biodiversity restoration work that is progressing in the Kati Huirapa ki Puketeraki rohe, both with and without direct runaka involvement, focusing on the immediate coastal area of the Puketeraki rohe. The initial geographic focus of this project is on our current runaka engagement and capacity. The larger whenua tupuna was utilised during seasonal inland migrations to the lake district for gathering mahika kai, with permanent inland settlements existing from time to time. While the larger area falls within the wider Kati Huirapa ki Puketeraki rohe, this project begins at a scale that is currently practicable.

Click this link for the full report, which has links to the web interface as well as other relevant projects in the rohe.