Projects

The Seachange Survey project was set up to create a community survey method, in conjunction with local schools and with input from residents, to monitor the health and distribution of pāua and other kaimoana species.

New Zealand Marine Studies Centre (University of Otago) and community members are exploring the abundance and demographics of shark populations local to the Otago region.

This project looks to combine traditional Polynesian wayfinding knowledge with high-tech light and movement sensors in order to investigate how wave shadows were used for navigation.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Mutunga will carry out a comprehensive estuarine assessment in the Urenui and Mimitangiatua estuaries and aim to establish what current and future threats may impact on the health of these important coastal areas.

Students from semi-rural schools will work with researchers to investigate how land use, water quality and biodiversity conservation can simultaneously contribute to the overall health of a catchment.

The project team will gather information on the types of litter, and the origin of litter on the Taranaki coastline, and in particular, in the Tapuae Marine Reserve.

The project whānau will be exploring the characterisation and connectivity of taonga species inside and outside Tapuae Marine Reserve and Ngā Motu/Sugar Loaf Islands Marine Protected Area.

Schools, local groups and scientists are monitoring sites, collecting data and photographing marine communities in the Otago Harbour area. Over time this will show any changes to the species and habitats after dredging.

A local hapū, the Waitara community and marine scientists have joined forces to survey the health of marine life on the Airedale reef, off the Taranaki coast.

What makes the subtidal reefs of South Taranaki unique? Locals in Hawera and Pātea are discovering and documenting the subtidal rocky reef communities found in the South Taranaki Bight.