The Drains To Harbour (DTH) programme empowers schools and communities by providing hands-on experiences in the environment. After these experiences, students are encouraged to put their knowledge into action within the community.

The DTH programme is currently offered in 3 areas - Whangarei, Far North District, and Nelson/Tasman Bay region. 

If you’re interested in participating in the programme please contact 

• Northland: Isabel Krauss, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Nelson/Tasman Bay region: Helen Forsay, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The programme was successfully piloted in the winter of 2006 and has been running in the Whangarei District ever since, thanks to support from the Whangarei District Council. In 2018, it was successfully adopted in the Nelson/Tasman Bay area. Since July 2020, the Far North District Council has also funded this programme for schools in the Far North District. 

WBC National Inanga Spawning Programme (NISP) Resources:

Developed as part of the MBIE Unlocking Curious Minds Whitebait Connection National Inanga Spawning Programme 2016

Our vision:

• To have schools, tangata whenua and community groups actively involved in stream and catchment restoration throughout New Zealand
• To provide ongoing support for all participating groups and schools incorporating cutting edge, practical environmental education
• To gain a better understanding of the distribution and the abundance of whitebait and other freshwater fish species as well as pest fish species
• To share knowledge about the effects of landuse practices on freshwater ecosystems and to strengthen the relationship between government departments, schools, community groups and tangata whenua.

The WBC 'Investigating Freshwater' Inquiry resource stage overview and links page is in development and will be evolving on the resource library. In the mean time you can download the manual and other relevent resources by clicking here or contact Kim Jones on (09) 4340779 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for your own copy of the Whitebait Connection's WetFeet/Investigating Freshwater DVD which guides you step by step through each stage and shows WBC getting 'WetFeet" with 3 Northland Schools.

Links to other useful websites and resources

This children's book, is Stephanie Bowman's passionate response to a unique species on the edge of extinction. As an artist and writer, she has created a captivating story of a mother and son eel which is engaging, scientifically informative, and ethically inspiring.

Teaching resources available for download

From the Department of Conservation www.doc.govt.nz

Whitebait catch consists primarily of the young of three species: inanga (Galaxias maculatus), koaro (G. brevipinnis) and banded kokopu (G. fasciatus); inanga is by far the most commonly caught species.

There are many different ways that everyday people can monitor their waterways. The Whitebait Connection (WBC) uses a mixture of biological (living) and non-biological (non-living) indicators to assess and monitor the health of streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands.