TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE WITH MODERN-DAY PRACTICES

This year’s top pick was the Waikēkēwai wetland reconstruction
project in the Selwyn District of Canterbury.

WGA set up a hydrological monitoring programme with the help of the Te
Taumutu Rūnanga, Environment Canterbury and Boffa Miskell. Monitoring
the Papatahora Stream is a vital part of the project to ensure a smooth
water redirection through the reconstructed wetland at the Te Taumutu
marae.

Our team installed an external staff gauge (ESG) and piezometer to monitor
water levels at the Papatahora Stream. Extracting a soil sample from the
wetland adjacent to the stream allowed them to investigate the layers
beneath, while Environment Canterbury’s Rad Gulliver recorded flow rates
across the Papatahora Stream.

This culturally significant wetland will improve the water quality of the
Papatahora Stream and provide mahinga kai and biodiversity benefits to the
Rūnanga. Understanding the streams’ hydrology is essential to ensure
the wetland functions properly to support plant and aquatic life.

Learning valuable Mātauranga Māori of the stream, together, we
are building an important story of the Papatahora Stream through merging
traditional knowledge and practices with modern-day science.

READ MORE

about the Waikēkēwai wetland reconstruction project!