Beneath the paved streets and bustling footpaths of central Tāmaki Makaurau lie ancient awa that once flowed freely through the rohe of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.
Now, thanks to a partnership between Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and Te Kaunihera these hidden waterways are being uncovered and reconnected with their people.
In a recent scoping day, members of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Te Whakaorangatanga o te Wai programme and environmental specialists from Te Kaunihera, visited sites including the Waihorotiu Stream, which winds beneath Queen Street through a brick pipe laid in 1937. Despite the challenges of accessing sites obscured by time, urban development, and inaccurate GIS data, the team successfully collected early ecological data using environmental DNA and other techniques.
For Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, this mahi is far more than scientific sampling, it is a cultural reconnection and spiritual restoration. It is about reminding these streams that their people remember them and are working to regenerate the mana and the mauri they still hold.
Jess Hiscox, Regenerative Practices Lead for Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei says this mahi is a key part of Te Whakaorangatanga o te Wai, their wai programme, building connection between these waterways and their people.
“Visiting these sites, connecting with them and collecting data like we have, builds mātauranga that benefits both groups and is a fantastic example of the power of the partnership between Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau.”
The programme is grounded in the vision of creating an empowered collective of tribal kaitiaki, guardians who are re-placed into the taiao (natural world) and actively participate in the regeneration of water systems such as those in Ōkahumatamomoe/Ōkahu Bay.
“We believe an enabled and active relationship between tangata whenua and Te Kaunihera delivering mahi collaboratively is something in itself worth celebrating,” says Jess.
“These hīkoi provide opportunities for our people to engage with their tribal waters, many of which are hidden or unknown, and to begin healing our relationship with these vital systems.”
Te Kaunihera General Manager Engineering, Assets and Technical Advisory Paul Klinac says this project provides valuable opportunity for Te Kaunihera scientists and iwi kaitiaki to work and learn together. And of course, we are all interested to find out what might be living in these hidden waterways.
Te Kaunihera Environmental Evaluation and Monitoring Unit (EEMU) and the Healthy Waters team are supporting iwi through data collection training, technical guidance, and collaborative fieldwork, building capacity and shared knowledge. Together, they are working not just to identify what lies beneath, but to restore the mauri and mana of the wai.
This grassroots initiative is a cornerstone of an ethos, one that honours the past while shaping a healthier, more connected future.
