E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatangamaha o Te Moana ā-Toitehuatahi tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. E ngā iwi me te hāpori Māori, mai Ngā Kurī a Whārei ki Tihirau, mai Maketū ki Tauhara huri noa i te rohe o Toi Moana kei te mihi.

A pānui to share what Komiti Māori and Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council are doing around the rohe that is relevant to iwi, hapū and marae.

The Komiti Māori hui on Tuesday 22 February is being held via Zoom only due to Covid-19 Protection Framework restrictions.

The meeting will commence at 9.30am and is due to finish at approximately 2.30pm.

Only councillors, reporting staff and confirmed presenters and participants will be given access to join the Zoom meeting.

The meeting will be recorded and livestreamed. To watch the meeting live, click on the following link. The meeting agenda is now available on the Toi Moana website.

Tangata whenua presentations will be heard from:

• Dr Kura Paul-Burke and Joe Burke - Kaitiaki and Mātauranga Māori in Practice
• Karen Vercoe - National Three Waters Steering Group 
• Eugene Berryman-Camp - MfE Kaupapa Māori Update 
• Kiamaia Ellis - Mataitai Reserve in Tauranga
• Te Rangimarie Williams - Te Papa Ahurewa (Environmental Services Hub) on behalf of Te Arawa Lakes Trust

Presentations and staff updates regarding:

• Summer Assistants’ Internship Progress Update

• He Toka Tū Moana (Toi Moana Environmental Scholarship) Recipient Presentations by Haukapuanui Vercoe and Megan Ranapia

If you have any further questions, please contact Kataraina O'Brien.

Update for the Essential Freshwater Programme

Earlier this month a sub regional hui was held at Tangatarua Marae, in Rotorua recently to engage with iwi. The focus was to inform attendees about the implications for their respective hapū and how they would like to engage with Toi Moana as we progress work under the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020 (NPSFM). If you have any questions  please contact Reuben Gardiner.

Successful safer boating pilot programme for iwi and hapū

Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Harbourmaster team is now halfway through “Kia marutau ki te wai” – a pilot education programme providing safer boating training specific to the needs of individual iwi and hapū.

Thanks to $10,000 of Maritime NZ funding, nine Safer Boating ambassadors from Otawhiwhi Marae in Waihi, Te Rereatukahia Marae in Katikati, and students from Ngāti Awa iwi are being put through the Coastguard boating education Day Skipper course.

“Unfortunately, over the last 10 years, 20 to 25 percent of nationwide drownings have been Māori. This course will give these ambassadors the knowledge to pass onto friends and whānau, and prevent adding to those statistics.”

If the pilot programme is a success Harbourmaster Jon Jon Peters says it will be rolled out through other parts of the region.

Dry summer sees reactivation of Rotorua Focus Zone 

Bay of Plenty Regional Council staff are increasing water flow monitoring of several Rotorua Focus Zone streams as the area moves into Level 1 of a Water Shortage Event.

Regional Council Water Shortage Event Manager Steve Pickles said water flows in the Paraiti (Mangorewa), Waiari and Ngongotahā streams in particular are continuing to decline due to dry conditions. These streams all have their headwaters originating from the west and north of Lake Rotorua.

We entered the summer period with lingering drought conditions from the previous two years’ low rainfall. 

By raising the alert level for these streams to Level 1, it signals to water users in the Rotorua Focus Zone that there could be a need for intervention if dry conditions continue.

Water restrictions for consented water users would only occur if the area moved to Level 3. Find out more about the impact of dry weather on our region here Dry weather water management (boprc.govt.nz)

Free bus fares for school students 2022 trial 

School students aged 5-18 years old can now enjoy free bus travel until 31 December using their registered Bee Card with a child concession. The key is to tag on when entering and tag off when leaving the bus, so they don't get charged a standard fee. 

Please visit Free Bus Fares for School Students - 2022 Trial - Baybus to see what times you can enjoy the free travel. 

We encourage as many students as possible to take up this opportunity and start saving!

Applications are now open for the School Sustainability and Resilience Fund 

The School Sustainability and Resilience Fund (SSRF) is a $30,000 fund that supports kura, and kohanga to carry out sustainability projects and prepare for the impacts of climate change and natural hazards.

Applications are open to all educational institutions within the Bay of Plenty, including kura, kohanga, primary, secondary and tertiary education providers, early childhood education centres and kindergartens.

Project ideas could include, tsunami evacuation signs, bike racks, edible gardens, composting set-up, climate change education programmes.  Applicants can apply for $1,000 - $5,000 in funding (excl. GST).

Applications are open until 31 March 2022. There is a zoom information session at 11am Thursday 17 February 2022, applicants can email SSRFund@boprc.govt.nz to sign up.

Māori Rights and Responsibilities relevant to the Resource Management Reforms