A message from our Kaihautū/Programme Director, Katina Conomos:
Thank you for your interest in the Revive Our Gulf project! Re-establishing kūtai/mussels in Tīkapa Moana/Te Moananui-ā-Toi/ the Hauraki Gulf is an intergenerational mission. Experimental timeframes are long, and it can take years to see results. We still have much to discover and learn about how to restore, and we’re doing that against a backdrop of a changing climate, illustrated throughout 2023 by several unprecedented weather events, and the encroachment of a new threat to the Gulf: the seaweed exotic Caulerpa.
Although we cannot easily speed up ecology, we can actively strive to accelerate our knowledge gains, and it feels like we are achieving this. For the first time in the history of this project, we have in place a regular monitoring programme. Over the past 18 months, eight compliance monitoring surveys and two additional surveys have significantly enriched our understanding.
Looking ahead to 2024, our commitment to knowledge gains intensifies thanks to the support of our newest funding partner, the BNZ Foundation. This collaboration enables us to have more eyes in the water, more often. Observation plays a fundamental role in adaptive management.
The University of Auckland continued to deliver important research findings throughout 2023 particularly focussed on settlement and recruitment – how juvenile mussels are attracted to settle into the kūtai beds. Our collaboration with the Kelly Tarlton’s Marine Wildlife Trust has investigated which seaweed species, native to the Hauraki Gulf, are preferred by young kūtai.
The Revive Our Gulf project feels at its best when we are giving back to Tangaroa and Hinemoana by enhancing kūtai populations in the moana. This year’s observations help us refine our methods, and we plan to deploy again in mid 2024, aligning with optimal water temperatures.
None of this can be achieved without the continued support of the Revive Our Gulf funding community, to whom we express our profound gratitude. You are an integral part of this kaupapa, enabling us to persist and advance our mission. Notably, the Nature Conservancy Aotearoa New Zealand raised an additional $1 million for the Tīkapa Moana/Te Moananui-ā-Toi Challenge Fund for shellfish restoration with Foundation North.
To the projects’ Tangata Whenua partners – thank you for your trust and choosing to work with us. Walking alongside you enriches and deepens the kaupapa and stretches us beyond measure.
On a personal note, it has been an absolute privilege to join the Revive Our Gulf whānau this year. Being part of a generation that is committed to turn the corner on environmental degradation is a powerful motivator and a huge responsibility. Our mahi extends beyond the present, sowing the seeds of restoration for kūtai and coastal ecosystems throughout Aotearoa. The potential for positive change in Tīkapa Moana/Te Moananui-ā-Toi/the Hauraki Gulf looms large!
Mauri ora!