Between Friday 16^th- May until 19^th May Nic Caviale had the privilege of flying to Rarotonga to meet with an environmental community group based in Muri. Through the IRF River Foundation-winners are given the financial opportunity to develop a relationship with a foreign country. The objective is to share lessons and skills learnt and then mutually benefit from this expertise which can create an opportunity such as restoring a river.

These partnerships are an exchange of experience and skills based around personal relationships. IRF assists by facilitating these partnerships and acting as a catalyst to help partners with seed funding and match networking opportunities.

The Muir community is based in the Takitimu district and is closely connected to the many waka who gathered in the Bay before starting the long journey towards Aotearoa (New Zealand).  The strong Whakapapa connection found between the Muri community and our Wairoa district is extremely valuable and something we want to build on.

This part of the island is going through rapid development due to the expansion of tourism. This rapport expansion is happening without any major infrastructure upgrade which heavily affects the environment in general. During my visit I saw how the wetlands at the foot of the hills were disappearing and filled in to build new hotel and shops.

These wetlands offer a buffer from heavy rain falls which not only delay the flow of water but also filter the water before it reaches the beautiful Muir Lagoon. Climate change is also affecting the island in general by creating more frequent high rainfall events. The rise o sea level is also a challenge for the Cook Islands in general . The challenge lays in finding the balance between the development of tourism, the upgrade of public infrastructure and the protection of water quality both in the fresh water and the lagoon.  The Muri restoration group has always been proactive and we are looking forward to the possibility of developing this relationship further in the future.

On Saturday the 4 th of May 2019, the Whangawehi Catchment Management Group hosted a community planting day out on Taharoa Trust-a family farm owned by Pat and Sue O’Brien.

The day went extremely well with an overwhelming attendance of more than 50 participants ranging from the very young to the more mature folk! Gumboots were essential on the day due to the bulk of the planting been based around the periphery of a wetland. The highlight of the day was listening to the sweet violin playing by local violinist John De La Haye who set the tone with some invigorating Irish classics.  The variety of delicious cakes offered by local ladies at lunch time also helped keep the momentum going.

A big thank you to all the participants-especially those who came as far as Havelock North and Gisborne to give us a hand. The group would also like to thank all our funders with a special pat on the back to the Wai Maori Trust who have funded a large part of this work alongside Nga Whenua Rahui.

Thanks to you all for supporting our community initiative. We look forward to seeing you again in the future.