Wai Connection is part of the nationwide project by the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust (MTSCT) to build capability and capacity in New Zealand’s freshwater management by providing knowledge, tools and expert support to help identify values and solve issues in the local catchment areas. The project aims to support communities to connect more with their waterways from mountains to sea, and promote collaboration between local catchment groups, NGO’s, hapū/iwi, Regional Council, central Government and primary industry working within the catchment – helping deliver the goals of the Government’s Essential Freshwater (EF) work package.
Read on to learn more about the work of our Wai Connection kaimahi in the blog below.
Teaching Kaitiakitanga to the Next Generation – Freshwater Education in Full Swing
2 May 2025
Over the past 10 months our Wai Connectors has provided over 100 student learning adventures for pre-school, primary and high school through freshwater and marine education programmes reaching over 3,600 students.
We picked out a couple of highlights to share some more insights into their mahi.
In November Timara Wallace, our Wai Connector embedded within Te Kaahui o Rauru, led St. George’s School Year 7 students to the Tauararoa Stream for a hands-on day of learning about guardianship. The group tested water clarity, examined invertebrates, and met a Longfin eel up close—an unforgettable experience.
“Timara first showed us an eel that she caught using an eel net, which was very fascinating. After she set the eel free, we did a few activities that were: measuring the clarity of the water, the conductivity and the temperature, and discovering all the different bugs. Overall, the trip was amazing […]” – Emma Ding, Year 7 Student
In December 2024 Nicky Toothill, who is our Wai Connection Educational Support Officer at Taranaki Regional Council, and the students from Toko School undertook a survey of an area of restored wetland on a Stratford Farm as part of their planning mahi for planting their own wetland habitat. They tested water quality, observed the succession of planting, from 2- to 5-year-old established plants, and identified key plant species. The students soaked up practical lessons that will shape their own wetland project launching in 2025.
National networking
22 April 2025
Representatives of the Taranaki Wai Connection team were invited to attend the annual 3-day Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust’s wānanga hosted at Ōnuku Wānanga from 14-16 April. It was an opportunity to share and learn about the successes on the ground and build future resilience within catchment groups around Aotearoa.
The 2025 theme—”Celebrating Our Impact and Building Resilience”—reflected the core mahi of Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust and their many collaborators. Part of the programme was a Government Panel discussing “What’s Next for Catchment Groups”.
The programme is designed as an inspiring professional development and networking opportunity, bringing together those involved in freshwater and marine conservation. Each wānanga is shaped by the unique needs of the host region, weaving together the perspectives of mana whenua, local communities, and scientists. Together, they explore local issues, celebrate successes, and build practical skills for those doing the mahi on the ground.
Community Engagement – Stories from the Awa
4 April 2025
We were thrilled we were able to host two community screenings of Ko au te Awa, ko te Awa ko au – I Am The River, The River Is Me, one on 12 November in New Plymouth and one on 2 April in Stratford. This powerful documentary celebrates Te Awa Tupua/Whanganui river and the significance of the cherished taonga being granted the status of personhood. The Whanganui awa was the first in the world to be recognised as a legal person, and this urgent call to action for the rights of nature is now the fastest growing legal movement in the world.
The film highlights the global struggles of Indigenous communities to protect their sacred waterways and helps to form our understanding of the impact of how treating the awa as an identity informs how we protect and care for them.
We were honored to have local Iwi leader Ned Tapa of Te Awa Tupua open the space for us at the screening and be present for a community kōrero afterwards.
Exploring our moana – Experiencing Marine Reserves programmes
28 March 2025
This month Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) Taranaki Coordinator Rachel had a busy and rewarding month leading an action-packed month of marine learning. With additional support from Toi Foundation, they were able to work with five schools this year—Spotswood College, Devon Intermediate, and Oakura School—along with Highlands Intermediate and the Green School. Students learned about marine biodiversity and practised their snorkel skills in the pool before exploring the reefs of Ngāmotu Beach.
Seaweek wrapped up with a perfect day for a Community Snorkel: 54 snorkelers, calm seas, and incredible marine life sightings from jellyfish to red moki.
Want to volunteer for future snorkel events? Email Rachel at [email protected].
Monitoring Innovation on the Awa
29 January 2025
Darlene and Brett, our Wai Coordinators embedded within Te Iho Wai Ltd., began trialling Aqua Watch water monitoring waka on the Mangaone Stream, in partnership with Armatec Environmental. These waka collect water quality data—including turbidity, oxygen, pH, and temperature—and send it directly to HQ. It’s a smart way to monitor tributaries flowing into the Waiwhakaiho Awa, and more waka may be on the way.
Cross-Regional Collaboration
16 December 2024
In early December, our Taranaki and Wellington Wai Connection teams joined Dr. Huhana Smith at Waikōkopu Grove in Kuku. Huhana has deep roots in this whenua through her whakapapa connections. In her day job she is Associate Professor at the School of Art at Massey University. A painter, her art and research also take the form of environmental projects collaborating with iwi, farmers, artists, hydrologists, ecologists, GIS and drone mappers, landscape architects and climate scientists – work that saw her awarded an MNZOM for services to the environment.
Our teams had the opportunity to learn from Huhana about her restoration journey over the past 20 years and hearing about her extensive experience collaborating between many different communities. In exchange we helped her do stream weed maintenance on the Waikōkopu and bring in some of our monitoring skills & expertise to expand on her mahi.
Watch Huhana’s Freshwater Champion video to learn more about her mahi. Freshwater Champions 2024 – Professor Huhana Smith
Taranaki Wai Connection Wānanga: Spotlight on Īnanga and Fish Passage
18 November 2025
The Wai Connection rōpū came together in August and November for wānanga focused on Freshwater Monitoring, Īnanga (whitebait) Spawning and FishPpassage. We’re grateful to Kim Jones and Nic Naysmith from Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust as well as Bart Jasma from SLR Consulting for guiding us through immensely valuable learning. During our August wānanga a major highlight was the discovery of a previously unknown īnanga/whitebait spawning site. The whole Taranaki Wai Connection rōpu were buzzing over the eggs discovered in the damp dark root mat.
Connecting with our Members – Wai Connection featuring at the Wild for Taranaki Biodiversity Forum
28 October 2024
We were heartened by the interest in the Wai Connection workshop at the Biodiversity Forum where Wai Coordinators and Connectors Darlene, Timara and Lisa’s presentation shed light on how the initiative is aiming to support the region’s freshwater spaces. We put our facilitation training to the test and collated input from more than 50 Wild for Taranaki members to investigate what is important to the sector right now.
Key themes that stood out were Education & Awareness Building around freshwater issues, improving Communication within the sector about the mahi that is going on, diving deeper into Īnanga/Whitebait Regulation vs Mahinga Kai and the challenge of Funding. As the project develops, these insights will help inform our activities for 2025 so watch this space!
Co-creating solutions with our communities
11 October 2024
In October 2024, Darlene, Emily, Lisa and Timara took part in a transformative Facilitating Effective Catchment Groups course during the Waimārama Mountains to Sea Wānanga. Catchment groups often include a mix of personalities and aspirations—so how can we create unity, direction, and action?
Thanks to Helen, Michelle, and Nicholas from Facilitate Aotearoa, we learned how the right tools and frameworks can bring structure and purpose to even the most diverse groups. It turns out effective facilitation is both an art and a science—and these skills are transferable to all kinds of collaborative mahi.
“There’s a framework to stick to, but it’s the subtle nuances that bring it to life.” – Dr Emily Roberts, Wai Connector, Te Kāhui o Taranaki
To empower more groups in Taranaki, we brought Facilitate Aoteaora to Ngāmotu in May 2025 to host another training session equipping participants with effective tools to co-create solutions with the many communities they serve.
