Ngā Huhua

Protecting the lifeforce of Te Moananui-a-Toi in the Hauraki Gulf

Ngā Huhua: Abundance is proudly presented in partnership with Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea who have witnessed first-hand the decline of what was once an ocean pulsing with life. Ngāti Rehua have been at the forefront of efforts to protect and restore their 350km coastline and water spaces threatened by dredge spoil dumping, overfishing, invasive species, and climate pressure.

“Our parents and grandparents remembered a time when whales brought life with them, when seabirds were healthy and everywhere, and kai moana was abundant,” says kaumatua Opo Ngawaka, Chair of the Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust. “Now, the birds are declining, species have been overfished, and we are seeing the effects of foreign and local exploitation. We don’t want our tamariki to just inherit what’s left, we want to make it better for the generations to come.”

More than a quarter of the Southern Hemisphere’s marine mammal species have been sighted in Te Moana-nui-a-Toi, along with more than 20 per cent of the world’s seabird species. But while rich with life, it is also under huge pressure from human activity, marine heat waves and the effects of climate warming. Overfishing has seen populations of key members of the food web such as seabirds, schooling fish, kingfish, crayfish, and scallops decline to a shadow of their former abundance. Invasives like exotic Caulerpa seaweed and the long-spined sea urchin are spreading, and microplastics, noise pollution and bottom trawling pile stress on this incredible ecosystem.