Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki ki Taumutu are kaitiaki within our takiwā. We ensure that the mauri, mana and wairua of our taonga, te taiao and Te Waihora are prioritised in decision-making. We ensure that te taiao is protected, restored and enhanced.
Te Rūnanga strive to to restore, rejuvenate and protect the mana, mauri and ecosystem health of Te Waihora and all of our awa and roto; which includes enhancing water quality and flows. We engage and collaborate on a diverse range environmental projects, not only at Te Pā o Moki, but across the whole takiwā. There are often opportunities for whānau members to fulfill engagement positions representing Taumutu. Engagement helps to see our goals and visions incorporated into a wide array of kaupapa.
These are some of the local and more recent whānau based projects:
Extensive work has been completed over the years to enhance the grounds at Te Pā o Moki. Projects have included a new front fence and 5 prior restoration initiatives. In 2013 Te Taumutu Rūnanga released the Waikēkēwai Restoration & Rehabilitation Report, an aspirational plan for guiding restoration initiatives for the awa.
Riparian restoration is now well established between the marae and Te Repo Orariki –
Construction Te Repo o Orariki
Te Repo o Orariki after restoration planting
Established vegetation at Te Repo o Orariki
Restoring the lower to mid reaches of the catchment of Te Waikēkēwai/Waikēkēwai Stream is the goal of Te Taumutu Rūnanga and the Whakaora Te Waikēkēwai project.
The stream signifies an important whakapapa/genealogical connection as it flows through Te Pā o Moki/the pā (fort) of Moki II) down through Ōrāriki/the pā of Ruahikihiki. This entire area was once a great mahinga kai site, where whānau/family could gather resources as the stream flowed through rich wetlands before reaching Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere, which is of great cultural importance to Te Taumutu whānau. As the catchment landscape was converted to farms following European settlement in Aotearoa New Zealand, wetlands disappeared, the water course changed and became degraded and opportunities to gather mahinga kai were all but lost to the Rūnanga.
Whakaora Te Waikēkēwai addresses three key issues including poor water quality in Te Waikēkēwai/Waikēkēwai Stream, the loss of mahinga kai and cultural values from the Te Waikēkēwai landscape and the loss of aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, resulting from a degradation of the stream, wetland and riparian habitats.
Key objectives
Project partners are Te Taumutu Rūnanga and Environment Canterbury with funding from the Government’s Freshwater Improvement Fund and Environment Canterbury.
The restoration of the lower reaches of the stream, within the Marae grounds including re-creating the Te Repo Ōrāriki wetland, has been completed. It was important for whānau to make sure their backyard was tidy before advocating to others.
The project has three key objectives:
This will be achieved by working with landowners to:
Whakaora Te Waikēkēwai includes additional deliverables that focus on relationships, including open day events and engagement with affected landowners, planting days for children via Te Ara Kākāriki and Enviroschools, and Mātauranga Māori and water monitoring.
Project progress and next steps
Having recently completed the rejuvenation of the Te Reo Orariki wetland and Taumutu Marae grounds, current and planned mahi involves collaborating with neighbouring landowners to restore the main stem of Te Waikēkēwai above the Marae.
This is being delivered through a series of works, including:
The project is funded through Environment Canterbury and the Government’s Freshwater Improvement Fund, administered by the Ministry for the Environment.
Te Repo o Papatahora
Te Repo o Papatahora
Click here to see more about the governance of the Whakaora te Waikēkēwai project.
Ahuriri Lagoon is located near Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere in Canterbury. In the past, it was a large body of water surrounded by wetland. It served as an important food source for birds and animals. But in the late 1800s, it was gradually drained. Before the restoration it was mostly dry grassland.
Project aims:
Whakaora-Te-Ahuriri
Muriwai o Whata is a small coastal lagoon of cultural, natural, historic and recreational importance to Ngāi Tahu, and in particular Te Taumutu Rūnanga and is the home of Tuna who, due to circumstances, became the father of all tuna. The hapua was returned to Ngāi Tahu ownership under the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998.
The goals of the restoration are:
Some of the key projects included riparian planting and fencing with the aim of enhancing fish passage, water levels, and recreational uses, and also, to reduce sedimentation and pest fish and plant species such as willows.
The restoration of Muriwai o Whata/Muriwai Lagoon will take years to complete with lots of support and mahi. Whānau along with ECAN have been able to celebrate its values through bioblitz events collecting samples of species that in time, will hopefully show improvements of biodiversity as a result of restoration efforts.
Te Waikēkēwai Restoration and Rehabilitation Project
The Plan breaks the restoration initiatives into the wider catchment, lower catchment, and focus areas around the marae. Work undertaken to date includes the establishment of Ōrariki wetland, restoration of Waikekewai along the marae grounds through to Ōrariki and currently work to restore Papatahora, including creating a new marae-adjacent wetland.
2013 – RPT – Te Waikekewai author Bridget Robilliard – needs updating
Muriwai Management Plan
This management plan has been prepared by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu and Te Taumutu Rūnanga to guide and support the management of the bed of Muriwai, as well as the wider catchment, in line with Ngāi Tahu values.
Āhuriri Lagoon Restoration Plan
The Ahuriri Lagoon Restoration Plan has been developed to provide a road map for the restoration of Ahuriri Lagoon. There has been community interest in the possibility of restoring the lagoon within the Ahuriri Reserves for many years, and in 2014 a partnership was formed between Papatipu Rūnanga, the Te Waihora Management Board, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Department of Conservation, and Environment Canterbury to progress the development of a 20 year restoration plan for this purpose.
2016 Ahuriri Lagoon Restoration Plan
Mahaanui Iwi Management Plan
The Iwi Management Plan (IMP) is an expression of kaitiakitanga and rangatiratanga. It is a manawhenua planning document reflecting the collective efforts of six Papatipu Rūnanga that represent their respective hapū who hold manawhenua rights over lands and waters within the takiwā from the Hurunui River to the Hakatere River and inland to Kā Tiritiri o Te Moana. This Iwi Management Plan has statutory weight recognised under the RMA.
https://www.mkt.co.nz/iwi-management-plan/
Mahere Tukutahi o Te Waihora Management Plan
This is the first statutory joint land management plan between the Crown and Iwi. It results from the settlement of Ngäi Tahu claims against the Crown and in particular the loss of access to places where the tribe produced or procured food and other resources. The joint management plan contains long-term objectives and detailed policies and methods for effective integrated management of the Joint Management Plan Area and the natural and historic resources within the area.
2005 Mahere Tukutahi o Te Waihora Management Plan
Taumutu Natural Resources Plan
This plan is a hapū management plan written for the hapū, by the hapū and because it’s been mandated by the Iwi Authority is also an Iwi Management Plan and as such carries statutory recognition and weight under the RMA. It is a statement of Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki ki Taumutu values and policies in regard to natural resource management in the Taumutu takiwā. The plan is a means for tāngata whenua to carry out their role as kaitiaki and rangatira over their ancestral lands and taonga.
Taumutu Natural Resources Plan
Cultural Impact Assessments (CIA)
A Cultural Impact Assessment (CIA) report is a professionally prepared assessment of the potential impacts of a specific activity on resources and values of importance to tangata whenua. Such reports document Rūnanga values associated with an area, and provide appropriate measures to avoid, remedy or mitigate any adverse effects on those values. CIA reports are an effective means of providing cultural and technical input, mainly with respect to resource consent applications under the Resource Management Act.
Can be made available on request.
Cultural Values Assessment (CVA)
CVR are similar to CIA reports but are focused on providing information on the nature and extent of cultural interests in a given area, as opposed to assessing impacts of a specific proposal.
Can be made available on request.