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?
How are the kūtai doing? This varies across the beds we visited. At Ponui, while the kūtai have largely survived their first year, they haven’t grown very much. It’s a similar story at Rotoroa, where there’s been a slightly higher rate of mortality than at Ponui, but growth in the size of the kūtai hasn’t… Read more »
18 December 2025
Understanding juvenile kūtai habitats
One of the challenges in kūtai restoration is what we refer to as the “recruitment bottleneck”. While we’ve created kūtai beds by adding adult kūtai into the environment, the natural cycle that brings in and supports new juveniles isn’t kicking in yet. Without that, the restored beds can’t sustain themselves over time. Seaweed has been… Read more »
24 August 2025
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 gives us a first glimpse of how… Read more »
15 June 2025
The effect of suspended sediment on kūtai spat
The amount of sediment entering coastal environments is increased through activities such as agriculture, deforestation, mining, and construction, as well as increases in extreme weather events because of climate change. Sediment moving from land into the ocean increases suspended sediment, which is sediment in the water column that can make the water murky. Increased sediment… Read more »
21 March 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
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