On the 10 th of April, Whangawehi sponsors gathered at Tuahuru Marae to celebrate the work done along the Whangawehi stream. After 4 years of work, the group wanted to thank the different organisations involved and show them the fruit of their investments.

Rex Graham, new Chairman of the Hawkes Bay regional Council was extremely supportive and impressed by the work done and saw a template that could be transferred to other groups. Mo Rongo, Chairman of the Rongoamaiwahine Trust presented with a lot of passion Iwi’s aspirations in the post Treaty Settlement phase.

All our visitors were impressed and realised how committed the people of Mahia are in terms of restoring their environment.

Thank you all for your contribution during the day, we hope to see you again soon.

On the 30th of March, Ian Tarei and Morgan Cox came to the Whangawehi meeting to talk about the Omataroa Kiwi Project based in Whakatane. Ian Tarei shared his story and key lessons learnt from his experience with the project.

The Whangawehi Catchment would be suitable for a Kiwi restoration programme because of its restored habitats and its pest control effort.

Ian and Morgan have sown a seed and gave quite a few tips on how their project became sustainable over time.

Thank you to both of them for their time and expertise.