Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust Board and Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust have formalised a Partnership between the two organizations through a Mana Enhancing Agreement (MEA). The purpose of this partnership is to support landowners, community and hapū of the Takahiwai and Bream Bay catchments with funding and capability development thus contributing to the reduction of sediment and improved biodiversity for the Takahiwai, Ruakākā and Waipū Awa and catchments.
Through this partnership, Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust Board and Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, intend to ensure their respective work plans are aligned and that collaboration will enhance the impact and effectiveness of their work.
This Mana Enhancing Agreement (MEA) places Te Mana o te Wai at the centre of a living relationship to manage expectations, roles and responsibilities of the partners working together. The partnership honours shared values, of including mana whakahaere, Kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, and aroha. Through these attributes, the mana of each partner is enhanced. It is anticipated that these values and attributes will flow out beyond the immediate partnership into the wider community connected to Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust Board; Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, and into all work undertaken in the name of the partnership.
One example of the Partnership in action is through the īnanga (whitebait) spawning habitat restoration project shared work on the Takahiwai, Ruakākā and Waipū Awa. Knowledge, survey effort and restoration work will be shared between the two partners to scale up collaborative work locating, protecting, and enhancing īnanga spawning habitats, alongside community engagement and capacity/capability development. Data will be mapped and used to prioritise habitat restoration that builds resiliency for the effects brought on by climate change and to motivate and implement actions that will improve water quality.
Pictured on the cover image, from left to right, are: Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust's Kim Jones, Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust Board's Ari Carrington and Layton Carrington, MTSCT's Nicholas Naysmith and Patricia Clark (in kayak) outside Rangiora - Takahiwai Marae beside the kayak just given gifted to Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust Board to support their survey work in the Waipū Awa over the next three years as part of a Whitebait Connection Freshwater Improvement Fund project.