Tau Kōura project update

NATURAL RESOURCES TAU KŌURA PROJECT

Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board

Our Tau Kōura monitoring project is now in its second year. Our team has continued to work closely with hapū and this has enabled stability in results throughout the project.

The purpose of using the Tau Kōura as a monitoring tool is to use kōura as our indicator species to monitor the health of our moana. This year, there has been one monitoring round of Tau Kōura undertaken. This has provided an indication about the way kōura respond to any environmental changes. There are currently two Tau Kōura sites in Waihi, two in Motuoapa and two in Nukuhau, where there is also potential to increase this to three sites in the future. We anticipate an increase in the kōura population over the coming months as water temperatures get cooler. So far, through the water quality testing that is part of our monitoring we have not detected anything out of the ordinary. We extend a big mihi to our kaimahi from DOC and Korohē, Pākira, Nukuhau and Te Rangiita marae who have shown tremendous interest in the project.