Te mahi tahi ki te tiaki hopuwai matahīapo Joining forces to safeguard a precious catchment

I te 2010, ka puta i ngā tāngata whenua o Whangawehi, i te taha rāwhiti o te raenga kūiti o Mahia, ō rātou āwangawanga mō ngā pānga pea o tētahi pūnaha whakatukatuka wai para ki tō rātou awa tapu, wahapū, wāhi mahinga kai hoki.

In 2010, tangata whenua at remote Whangawehi on the eastern side of Mahia Peninsula voiced concerns about the potential effects of a new wastewater system on their sacred river, estuary and mahinga kai beds.

Te takenga

I kite a Kathleen Mato o Tuahuru Marae i tētahi ara onge hei whakapai ake i te hopuwai o Whangawehi mā te whakakao mai i te hunga whaipānga. Nā konā i oreore mai ai.

I te 2012, nā ngā marae e toru, nā ētahi kaimahi pāmu, nā ētahi kaunihera hau kāinga hoki i whakatū Te Ohu Tiaki i te Hopuwai o Whangawehi, kia pai ake ai te tiaki i te whenua, kia whakapai ake hoki i te mauri o te wai whakawhiti i te hopuwai.

Ko tētahi o ngā aronga nui ko te rītaia i ngā paenga tahataha o te pito whakararo o Whangawehi, te whakatō ki ngā oneone whāomo i ngā kōawaawa karapuke, te whakatō hoki i ngā rākau taketake 200,000. I tautokohia hoki e Te Hōtaka Ngahoro Karapuke ngā mahi mātanga hopuwai mō ngā tau e whā, he mea ārahi e Nic Caviale-Delzescaux.

Hei tā Nic, ko te mahi whakatipu otaota anō he mea pūtake mai i te mahi whakatō i ngā tahataha o ngā arawai me ngā kōawaawa ngāhorohoro.

“Mō te mahi whakatō, i whai mātou i tētahi ara torowhānui – i whakatōkia e mātou ngā rōnaki puke, ngā kōawaawa hoki, ka mutu, he whānui ā mātou wāhi whakatō tahataha arawai, mai i te 20 ki te 100 mita te whānui.”

Hei tā te kaitiaki whenua, hei tā Pat O’Brien, kua tino rerekē te hauora o te awa nā te hanganga o ngā taiapa. “I mua rā kua takoto mārakerake ngā tahataha awa nā te mahi a ngā kau ka heke mai ki te inu, ināianei 95% o ngā tahataha awa kua whakatōkia. He tino tutukitanga tēnā.”

He turaki tauārai

E waru tau whai muri mai, kua hoki mai ngā īnanga ki Whangawehi, ka mutu, i te 2018 ka whakawhiwhia ki te kaupapa o Māhia tētahi tohu awa whakahī ā-ao. Kua noho ko te ohu te taumata tiketike o ngā mahi ka taea i roto i ngā mahi tiaki hopuwai.

E whakaae ana a Nic, nā tana mahi hei takawaenga i tūhono ai ngā kaupeka o te hapori, engari ko te angitutanga o te kaupapa i hua mai nā te mātauranga me te manawanuitanga o ngā kaiārahi pērā i a Kathleen Mato.

“I mōhio te katoa nā ngā pāmu te nuinga o te parakiwai i te awa, engari kāore ngā tāngata pērā i a Kathleen i uapare, i tohutohu rānei i ngā kaitiaki whenua. He rite tonu tā rātou kī, ‘Whakaeke mai – mā pango, mā whero, ka oti ai te mahi.”

He rauemi hopuwai

Mō Nic, ko ngā mahi ā-ringa o te tiaki hopuwai he mea whakauru i ngā kaitiaki whenua kia taupiri ai tō rātou māramatanga ki tō rātou whenua, kia mōhio ai he aha ngā mahi hei whakatutuki, ka pēhea hoki e tutuki ai. Hei tāna, ko tētahi o ngā āhuatanga waiwai ko te taurima i te oneone ānō nei koia te tino rawa o te pāmu.

E whakaae ana a Nathan Heath, Te Kaiwhakahaere Whaitua Raki o Te Kaunihera ā-Rohe o Te Matau-a-Māui. I te tīmatanga, i āhua wehi ngā kaitiaki whenua i ngā mahere pāmu. Heoi, nāwai nāwai, ka whai atu ko ngā awheawhe, ā, ka tūhono i ngā mahi ki ngā tahua, ka whakatūturu anō i ngā mahi a ngā kaitiaki whenua. “

Hei tā Nic, ko tētahi o ngā whakatutukinga hou ko te 13 kiromita tuatahi o tētahi ara hīkoi tūmatanui i ngā tahataha o te manga o Whangawehi, he kaupapa i puāwai ai nā ngā kaitiaki whenua hau kāinga. Ka tino whakaroahia ake te ara hīkoi hei ngā tau e heke mai nei.

“Kua tino whanake tēnei kaupapa i roto i ngā tau e waru nei; he nui ngā piki me ngā heke. Heoi, e harikoa ana ahau i whai wāhi au ki tēnei kaupapa, ā, e poho kererū ana i ā mātou mahi ā-hapori nei.”