Freshwater restoration

About 76 per cent of indigenous freshwater fish species, that’s 39 out of 54, are threatened with extinction or at risk of becoming threatened.

Can native freshwater algae help restore the mauri of local waterways? Lawrence Gullery investigates.

Alex Fear looks at the Cultural Keystones Species research programme, a research partnership that grew out of the vision of a Ngāti Hau kaumatua.

Developing techniques for protecting, enhancing and rehabilitating the biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems and the cultural value they provide.

Streams play a key role in the ecosystems of New Zealand’s unique landscape. They feed and link together freshwater sources, maintain good water quality and support habitats that sustain our biodiversity.

The giant kōkopu is a native whitebait species considered rare and vulnerable. NIWA is working with Mahurangi Technical Institute and environmental consultancy Boffa Miskell to test the feasibility of reintroducing giant kōkopu to Nukumea Stream, north of Auckland.

The kōaro was once abundant in the Te Arawa lakes near Rotorua in New Zealand’s North Island. NIWA has assessed the viability of restoring this species in the region.