On Friday, July 8, Natalie Jessup, General Manager of Tāngaro Tuia te Ora, the Endangered Species Foundation, presenting the new Awhi Awa | Embrace a Stream project to an audience of potential partners and funders at the Impact Hub Waikato pitch night. This resulted in connections being forged and a kura (school) and local sustainable business have now committed to engaging their communities with this initiative.
The Awhi Awa | Embrace a Stream project focuses on empowering communities to restore local waterways, offering an "Awhi Awa kete" filled with tools and resources to educate participants about native freshwater fish, or ika taketake, and inspire communities to take care of our precious urban waterways.
The urgency of reversing the rapid decline in waterway health and protecting endangered species such as the longfin eel (tuna) and many whitebait species was shared along with the alarming statistics that nearly half of New Zealand’s rivers are unsafe for swimming, with a staggering 76% of native freshwater fish threatened or at risk of extinction.
New Commitments Made
New connections were made and commitments pledged by local stakeholders on the night. This includes Knighton Normal School who are keen to "awhi an awa" using the ESF Awhi Awa kete, embedding waterway care into their educational programme to enable students to learn about ika taketake (native fish) and take positive action for their habitats.
Awhina Horne who is liaising with Knighton Normal School in Kirikiriroa Hamilton to establish the Awhi Awa | Embrace a Stream educational initiative at this kura
The founders of local cafe, Hayes Common have also pledged their support, bringing Awhi Awa into their business’s strong sustainability mission. This project aligns with their own impressive efforts to improve sustainability of the hospitality industry by reducing food waste. Hayes Common have committed to participating by looking after and drawing attention to the urban waterway (drain) outside their cafe in Kirikiriroa, Hamilton, which goes straight into the Waikato River.
Lisa Quarrie from Hayes Cafe presenting on her social impact initiative to reduce food waste in the hospitality industry.
This Impact Hub event illustrates the power of collective action, showing how everyday communities can transform their surroundings by learning, acting, and advocating for healthier environments for us all.
How to Awhi Awa | Embrace a Stream
Thank you to everyone who has supported us in this journey so far! If you would like to awhi an awa, embrace a stream, at your kura (school), business, marae or your own whare (house) you can buy a kete of resources on our website here.
The Awhi Awa | Embrace a Stream kete includes:
💙Information on how to awhi an awa and embrace a stream
🐟Education material about endangered freshwater ika (fish) in te reo Māori and English
💻Presentation for teachers, businesses and community groups to share with people about the project
💧How drain systems work, and why we need to restore the health of our waterways
📝Access to education modules (4) for classrooms
🐟Signage of a tuna (longfin eel) or kōaro (native fish) made of scrap steel
🪛Concrete drill and screws
📽️Video on how to apply signage
📰Subscription to our newsletter and updates on endangered species and the health of our waterways
