News

Our scholarship committee was very pleased to announce the winner of the Coastal Restoration Trust Post Graduate Scholarship for 2024 at the recent conference held in Kāwhia.

The scholarship was awarded to Sanne Vaassen, a PhD candidate at Waikato University who presented her research at the conference.

The aim of her PhD research is to better understand how different estuarine vegetative species in coastal ecosystems compete for space and how the distribution of their habitats will change as a result of sea level rise in the coming decades. Specifically, she is focusing on saltmarsh and mangrove systems and how these shape estuarine morphology and attenuate waves and currents. Better understanding of these processes will offer valuable knowledge which can be used in coastal management and restoration decision making. Sanne’ s research is supported by Future Coasts Aotearoa.

Congratulations Sanne! We look forward to further updates in your future research.

Congratulations to Graeme Atkins, a trustee of Tāhuna Ora for three years, for being named as a finalist in the New Zealand Environmental Hero of the Year category in the 2024 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards.
Graeme is Ngāti Porou and Rongomaiwahine, has spent his life in Tairāwhiti Gisborne and is a dedicated protector of native plant life in the area.

He founded the Tairāwhiti Ngutukākā project, planting thousands of kākā beak around the region’s marae and roadsides with rangatahi, kaumatua and whānau to prevent the extinction of this stunning, but nationally critically endangered, plant.

He also was a founder of the Raukūmara Pae Maunga restoration kaupapa, seeking to save the Raukumāras from collapse, due to the ravages of possum, goats, pigs and deer.

In early 2023, after the horrific damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, Graeme recorded footage of kaimoana that had died of suffocation, in the silt that had poured down the Waiapu river. This footage became part of the main bulletin in national news and moved many to action.

He is known in the conservation community as the “Māori David Attenborough of plants” and is a much valued and generous member of the CRT board, always ready to share his precious knowledge.

The date of the awards ceremony unfortunately clashes with our Kāwhia conference, which means Graeme will be unable to be with us for the conference, but we wish him all the best for the ceremony and have our fingers crossed!

If you wish to be placed on a wait list in case someone cancels, please go to the registrations on our conference website and tick the box SOLD OUT - Select to be added to the waitlist. We will contact you if a place becomes available.

Waikato Regional Council and Thames-Coromandel District Council are calling for Registrations of Interest (ROI) for a Coordinator for the Coastcare Programme (East Coast)

The opportunity
The Coastal Restoration Coordinator (East Coast) contract will drive and support coastal restoration programmes, by collaborating with Iwi, coastal restoration groups, and the public. The role will provide technical advice for restoration activities, coordinate working bees and plant orders with community groups, and place orders for plants and other related materials for the Coastcare programme, while providing regular progress reports to key contacts at Thames Coromandel District Council (TCDC) and Waikato
Regional Council (WRC). In this role you will promote the Coastcare and Coastal Restoration programmes and will work with a broad range of stakeholders, including WRC & TCDC staff/contractors, Coastcare coordinators, local iwi, rural and suburban communities, pest plant control contractors, nurseries, and other local government representatives.

What they need
• Honesty, enthusiasm, accountability, respect and teamwork are considered core competencies for all WRC and TCDC Contractors.
• The nature of this work means that the contractor may need to occasionally work evenings and weekends to fit in with community group needs (attend group meetings etc.).
• Applicants will need a moderate level of fitness to engage in working bees and other activities

Go here to find out more.

Deadline for questions is 9 August at midday.

Deadline for Expressions of Interest is 16 August at midday.

We are very excited to announce the launch of our brand new Annual Conference website. This website contains everything you need to know about the conference in Kāwhia in 2024, from registration to sponsors to accommodation options.

The conference will be held at Maketū marae in Kāwhia from 20 to 22 March. We will be treated to speakers who are experts in a range of fields within coastal care, including our keynote speaker, Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr (Tainui). Hoturoa is a master navigator who will also lead a waka tour of Kāwhia Harbour, tell us about navigating by the stars and the history of the Kāwhia area.

Workshops and forums on coastal care feature in the extensive programme, alongside field trips and an opportunity to stay on-site at Maketū marae. It will undoubtedly be an event to remember.

Registrations for the conference are now open! Follow the link to check out the purpose built website and register now.