No images? Click here Wai Tuwhera o te Taiao e-pānuiHakihea / December 2021 Nau mai haere mai ki te pānui tuaono mō te kaupapa Wai Tuwhera o te Taiao. Welcome to the sixth edition of our newsletter for Wai Tuwhera o te Taiao – Open Waters Aotearoa. Reflecting on the past few months, COVID has caused some setbacks, but we are sincerely grateful to have delivered our wānanga / information sessions across Aotearoa; with the added bonus of meeting some of you in person. Thank you for connecting with us, for sharing your journeys, and bringing your energy to the programme as we soon close 2021. We wish you well for some well-deserved holidays ahead, and look forward to seeing you in the new year. Nā mātau Wai Tuwhera o te Taiao team at the EPA Online and in-person wānangaWe were stoked many of you joined our "making eDNA data meaningful" online wānanga in September and October, where we shared resources around interpreting your data; finding meaning that relates to your kaupapa and aspirations. If you missed these sessions, you can find the individual tutorials and the full webinar recording this in the Google Drive folder linked below. We planned (and replanned) to visit several regions in person for further wānanga and workshops. These plans were scuttled by COVID-19 – an experience that will be familiar to most – however, we did manage to squeeze a couple of trips in. Tairāwhiti GisborneIn late September, we had a fantastic hui with groups from around Tairāwhiti, some of whom had taken samples and others who were new to eDNA. The day included whakawhānaungatanga, as well as kōrero around who was doing what and where in the region; taking an eDNA test from the river nearby, and a practical workshop on crafting a StoryMap and wheel-of-life graphic. We were heartened to see near-completed versions of a StoryMap and wheel-of-life shared with us at a follow-up hui with Rongowhakaata Taiao – this team deserves a shout out. Tauranga MoanaAnother successful workshop was held in Tauranga Moana near the end of October. This started with a morning session for iwi and hapū led by Ngāi Te Rangi and facilitated by Pia Bennett, Naomī Pīanīka and Tireni Ratema (NZ Landcare Trust). We were fortunate to hear more about the eDNA sampling of seven waterways in their rohe, as well as share information about the eDNA kits and testing with those who were new to our kaupapa. New connections were made at our Tauranga hui and we were grateful to have Te Herenga member, Des Heke, join us. We are hoping that the new year and traffic-light system will present more opportunities for us to connect kanohi-ki-te-kanohi / face-to-face in 2022. Regional reflections: |