Haumanu Tū Ora

16/11/2025

15/11/2025

Keep an eye out for us on the river!

14/11/2025

Spartina Spray On Hold! 🚫

Due to the wind conditions here in Turanga, our team have made the call to stand by for today - Spraying is a no go 🌬️

We will monitor the condition again tomorrow morning and keep you all updated. Mauri Ora 🌱

14/11/2025

Kia ora! Our team will be out tomorrow morning beginning the spartina spraying on the Taruheru awa. Here’s a reel from last year to show what the work looks like. 🌱💧

14/11/2025

Kia ora! Our team will be out tomorrow morning beginning the spartina spraying on the Taruheru awa. Here’s a reel from last year to show what the work looks like. 🌱💧

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BNKXKuHxe/?mibextid=wwXIfr

10/11/2025

Kia ora Tūranganui a Kiwa, Gisborne!

We’re back in action! The next round of spartina removal is scheduled to begin this weekend along the Taruheru River. Our team will be out spraying and monitoring the area to help restore the health of our estuarine ecosystems.

📅 New dates: 15 – 17 November 2025

📍 Location: Taruheru River, between Peel Street Bridge and Lytton Road Bridge

Let’s work together to protect our whenua and wai! 💚 Gisborne District Council

08/11/2025

Taruheru River Spartina Removal – New Dates Announced!

Kia ora Tūranganui, Gisborne! Our Haumanu Tu Ora crew will be out with Councils Biosecurity team along the Taruheru River in the coming weeks carrying out Spartina removal and spraying to protect the health of our awa and restore habitat for native wildlife.

👉 Keep an eye out for our team working along the riverbanks.
👉 Please take care near any sprayed areas and follow signage on-site.

This mahi is part of our ongoing effort to help protect our waterways, ensuring cleaner water and healthier habitats for all 💚

📅 New dates: 15 – 17 November 2025

📍 Location: Taruheru River, between Peel Street Bridge and Lytton Road Bridge

28/07/2025

🌱🌊 Enhancing Īnanga Spawning Habitat at Kopuawhakapata Stream 🌊🌱

Contractors have recently planted native grass sedges along Kopuawhakapata Stream on behalf of Haumanu Tu Ora, helping to restore and enhance this important urban waterway.

These sedges are more than just greenery—they’re part of a targeted effort to create and protect spawning habitat for īnanga (whitebait), a treasured native species. The plants stabilise stream banks, filter stormwater, and provide the low-lying, shaded margins īnanga need to successfully lay their eggs.

By investing in this mahi, we're supporting the long-term health of our freshwater ecosystems and helping to bring balance back to the taiao.

He mihi nui to our contractors for their mahi, and to everyone backing community-led action for our waterways. 🌿💧

18/07/2025

🐟🌱 Searching for Īnanga Eggs in Our Urban Streams 🌱🐟

Ever wondered where īnanga (whitebait) lay their eggs?

We’ve been placing straw spawning mats in urban streams across Tūranganui-a-Kiwa to help monitor īnanga spawning sites. These mats mimic the grassy edges that īnanga prefer for laying their eggs – especially after high tides in late summer and early autumn.

By checking these mats, we can better understand where īnanga are still spawning, even in modified or urbanised waterways. This helps us protect these precious taonga and restore the habitat they need to survive.

Every egg counted is a sign of hope for the future of our whitebait species.

A big mihi to the EIT Students of the Te Hiringa o Te Taiao - Environmental Practices Level 4 course who volunteered to help put together and install these whāriki (mats) in our urban streams.

Small changes can make a big difference for our Taiao.

16/07/2025

🌿👣 He taonga te mokopuna, he taonga te taiao.

This week, the voices of our youngest kaitiaki echoed along the banks of Waikirikiri Stream, as tamariki and whānau from Whakaruruhau Kōhanga Reo, Te Tihi o Titirangi Kōhanga Reo and Kimihia Te Kupu Kohanga Reo came together to plant native species and restore the whenua in Kaiti.

With little hands in the soil and big smiles on their faces, these kōhanga whānau helped enhance the riparian area—improving water quality, strengthening streambanks, and creating greener, healthier outdoor learning spaces for future generations. 🌱💧

This mahi is about more than planting—it’s about connection. To te taiao, to each other, and to the stories of the whenua. It’s about showing our tamariki that their actions matter, and that they are part of something bigger.

Ngā mihi nui ki ngā kaiako, ngā mātua, me ngā mokopuna for your aroha, energy, and commitment to nurturing both the whenua and the wairua of your kura taiao.

Together, we grow. 💚

15/07/2025

🌱🌊 Planting Day at Grant Road Reserve – What a Success! 🌊🌱

Last week, a small group from the community came together at Grant Road Reserve and helped plant nearly 400 native plants – and from all accounts, it was an incredible morning!

We were joined by GDC staff, Grant Road residents, and local volunteers – a real show of community spirit in action.

The day started with inspiring kōrero that grounded us in the kaupapa:
🪨 Albie Gibson shared the whakapapa of the whenua, connecting us to the deeper story of the reserve.
💧 Alex Megaw spoke about water monitoring and the wider impact of our mahi.
🌿 Amy England highlighted the value of biodiversity and healthy riparian zones.

Then the mahi began – and it was a true team effort:
👣 Some dug holes,
🌱 others planted,
🛒 a few moved mulch and boxes,
…and the tamariki loved climbing the bark pile!

💚 Huge thanks to everyone who showed up. This was a beautiful example of our Haumanu Tu Ora vision in action – community-led, connected to place, and restoring the mauri of our environment.