2025 Impact Report
A message from our Kaihautū/Programme Director, Katina Conomos: 2025 has been a year of confidence and momentum for Revive Our Gulf, and there is a real sense of excitement about where we are heading. After several years of growth and evolution, we now feel well-positioned for what comes next, with strong partnerships with Tangata Whenua,… Read more »
31 December 2025
One year on: how are the kūtai?
In July 2024, in partnership with the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust, we deployed seven million kūtai (green-lipped mussels) across six sites at Martins Bay, and another two sites North-West of Motuora Island. Having already conducted several surveys of the deployments this year, a team of SCUBA divers were back in the water in August to… Read more »
18 December 2025
One year on: how are the kūtai?
In August 2024, we partnered with Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki to deploy approximately 56 tonnes of kūtai (green-lipped mussels) back into the Hauraki Gulf in an effort to support the re-establishment of soft sediment kūtai beds. Having already completed our six-month observation in February 2025, a team of SCUBA divers were back in the water… Read more »
18 December 2025
Six Months On: How are the kūtai?
Six Months On: How are the kūtai? In February 2025, divers accompanied Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki to return to our kūtai restoration sites at Te Pounui-o-Peretū (Ponui), Rotoroa, and the sites off the coast of Beachlands to see how the kūtai are settling in six months after deployment. While it’s still early days, this check-in… Read more »
15 June 2025
Three years on – the kūtai at Ōkahumatamomoe/Ōkahu Bay
Kūtai (green-lipped mussel) restoration kaupapa at Ōkahumatamoemoe (Ōkahu Bay) is part of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei’s long-term efforts to restore the bay, with this project, launched in 2021, focusing on testing whether a raised shellhash platform could improve kūtai survival. For those following this project, you’ll remember that it involved the creation of a shellhash platform… Read more »
28 February 2025
Spat on the move
To continue our learning on Project SPAT, Revive Our Gulf and Kelly Tarlton’s Marine Wildlife Trust have been undertaking further investigation into kūtai spat (baby kūtai) settlement on the two seaweed species in the Hauraki Gulf that were previously identified as the preferred seaweed for kūtai spat settlement. These seaweeds are Xiphophora chondrophylla (a brown… Read more »
3 February 2025
2024 Impact Report
A message from our Kaihautū/Programme Director, Katina Conomos: Thank you for your continued interest in the Revive Our Gulf project. Over the past year, our kaupapa has gained incredible momentum, with tangible progress in our mission to restore kūtai (green-lipped mussels) and contribute to the resilience of Tīkapa Moana/Te Moananui-ā-Toi/the Hauraki Gulf. This mahi is… Read more »
31 December 2024
Taupū Pakupaku (small plots) for ecological and cultural renewal
The August 2024 kūtai deployment, a collaborative effort between Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and Revive Our Gulf, was a day infused with purpose, care, and the collective aspiration to elevate the mauri of the taiao. This initiative focused on laying small plots of kūtai in various locations to explore the suitability for future large-scale restoration… Read more »
6 November 2024
Navigating Uncertainty: Reflections on AMSA-NZMSS 2024
In mid-September, a delegation from Revive Our Gulf attended the 2024 AMSA-NZMSS Conference in nipaluna/Hobart, Tasmania. Held every five years, the conference is a joint initiative between the Australian Marine Sciences Association (AMSA) and the New Zealand Marine Sciences Society (NZMSS). It’s a platform for sharing the latest marine research across both sides of the… Read more »
7 October 2024
Re-Musseling the Hauraki Gulf: A kaupapa of restoration and kotahitanga
The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkpapa Moana / Te Moananui ā Toi has long been a vital marine ecosystem, once teeming with vast beds of green-lipped mussels (kūtai) and diverse marine life. But decades of destructive fishing practices, land-based runoff, and population growth have taken their toll. Add in climate change, marine heatwaves, acidifying waters, and… Read more »
31 July 2024