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Wai Tūwhera o te Taiao e-pānui
July / Hurae 2021
Nau mai haere mai ki te pānui tuatoru mō te kaupapa Wai Tūwhera o te Taiao. Welcome to the third edition of our monthly newsletter for Wai Tūwhera o te Taiao – Open Waters Aotearoa.
As of June, we’re currently 50 percent of the way through analysing the eDNA samples you submitted – we've emailed 134 groups their eDNA sample results, totalling 187 individual samples.
This month we welcome members of our Te Herenga network to the programme. We are very excited to have you here and we look forward to sharing more about environmental DNA with you soon.
Wai Tūwhera o te Taiao team at the EPA
Ōtokia Creek and Marsh Habitat Trust
The Ōtokia Creek and Marsh Habitat Trust of Brighton, Dunedin, have always known their little creek was special. Using eDNA has given them an opportunity to showcase some of the biodiversity.
Share your story
If you would like to contribute a story, photos, art, or reflections to this e-pānui, please get in touch with us at eDNA@epa.govt.nz.
Critter of the month
The critter of the month for July/Hōngongoi is Aotearoa New Zealand's most colourful native fish, the redfin bully.
What's new
If you sent your samples in and haven't received your results back, they'll be on the way to you soon!
It’s up to you whether you make your data publicly available on the Wilderlab map. You can decide at this point, or later.
Fill out the form on the Wilderlab website
Upcoming drop-in sessions
Our drop-in sessions are still going ahead on a fortnightly basis.
At these sessions you can ask us questions, connect with other programme participants and more. Join in on the kōrero!
Upcoming sessions:
Wednesday 4 August, 1.00 pm
Wednesday 18 August, 7.00 pm.
The Zoom link is the same for every session. You can save this by clicking the button on the left.
New Zealand Biosecurity Awards
Do you have a story to tell about protecting your local ecosystem? You can nominate your group or kura for the New Zealand Biosecurity Awards. The awards are designed to recognise the incredible mahi that iwi, Council staff, kura and community groups are doing as kaitiaki.
What's on at the EPA
We exhibited for the first time at Fieldays in Ōhaupō, and our major attraction Cutz and Kōrero was a huge hit. Cutz and Kōrero provided an opportunity for us to listen and learn from people in the agriculture sector, and to share a bit about our work. We also attracted a lot of interest in Wai Tūwhera o te Taiao. Shout outs to Ric Balfour and Sam Gibson from NZ Landcare Trust for coming along for a haircut and conversation with us.
View Cutz and Kōrero videos
We held an information stand at Ngā Here, Many Connections, a Forest and Bird Youth networking event on 7 July at Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn Campus. Many students were interested in how they can enter this sector and expressed a real passion for environmental protection.
Te Pūtara is our bi-monthly newsletter featuring more news and updates about what we do.
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