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Wai Tuwhera o te Taiao e-pānui
Hakihea / 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 wānanga
We 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 Gisborne
In 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 Moana
Another 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:
add your story to the map!
We are preparing a big StoryMap to cover Wai Tuwhera o te Taiao summaries and highlights from each region, and would love your input! This is for sharing with other participants and those on our mailing list interested in the programme, and a link to the StoryMap will feature on our webpage.
We would appreciate you taking 5-10 minutes to fill out this simple webform, and claim a spot on the map. Or, if you have completed your own StoryMap and would like to share it with others, we can include a link to that as well.
Cut-off date for sending your samples
If you have any Wai Tuwhera o te Taiao eDNA sample kits that you are yet to use, please do so and send them to the lab by 31 January 2022 (excluding samples obtained through our Te Herenga network).
Any samples sent in after this date will not be eligible for free analysis. Please get in contact if you need more time or have any questions about this.
Residents band together for a Wellington Stream
Following repeated pollution in their local stream, locals have banded together to provide information and access to the stream for their community, using eDNA in the process.
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.
Curious critter
This month's critter is the mānuka moth (also known as Declana floccosa, or the forest semilooper moth).
Find out why two scientists spent 42 years studying these moths in their backyard.
What's on at the EPA
- We sponsored the Change Maker Award at the Sustainable Business Awards, celebrating a young person who is driving sustainable change within their organisation or the wider community.
Read about this year's winner
- We are seeking submissions on hydrogen cyanamide, a restricted spray ingredient mainly used in kiwifruit orchards to promote bud growth.
Make a submission
- We are seeking public input on an application to import or manufacture a new fungicide, Xivana. It controls downy mildew in onions and late blight in tomatoes and potatoes.
Make a submission
- Want to find out more about our work at the EPA?
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