Tōku awa koiora – introduction

Tōku awa koiora me ōna pikonga he kura tangihia o te mātāmuri - the river of life, each curve more beautiful than the last.

King Tāwhiao, second Māori King

Our collection of resources 'Tōku awa koiora' explores the restoration of the Waikato River, which has grown out of the Waikato River Deed of Settlement.

Sir Robert Te Kotahi Mahuta (Waikato-Tainui) lodged the Waikato River Claim with the Waitangi Tribunal in 1987. Sir Robert was concerned that river ownership and mana were denied to Waikato-Tainui, Waikato waters were polluted, fisheries were not protected and were depleted and Crown planning for the river did not take Waikato-Tainui concerns into account.

After 4 years of negotiations with the Crown, the historic Waikato River Deed of Settlement was signed on the banks of the Waikato River at Tūrangawaewae Marae on 22 August 2008. A revised deed of settlement was signed in December 2009.

The settlement recognises and acknowledges Waikato-Tainui concerns. An arrangement of co-management enables Waikato-Tainui and the Crown to work together for the benefit of the Waikato River.

The settlement contains many features not seen in New Zealand before and is a model that other indigenous groups around the world are closely observing. Waikato-Tainui believe the best way to make the most of the Waikato-Tainui settlement is to restore and protect the health and wellbeing of the Waikato River for future generations.

Collaboration with Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development

We explore the Waikato River in collaboration with Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development. We investigate some of the science projects that have occurred and are occurring along the river and talk to some of the iwi who live there.

River ecology

We learn about river ecosystems and the ecology and biodiversity of the Waikato River. We learn about the importance of the interconnectedness of the river with its catchment, the plant and animal life and the people who live there.

Meet the kaitiaki

Meet researchers, scientists and iwi who are working to restore and protect the health and wellbeing of the Waikato River. Learn about the projects occurring along the river – mitigation at the Huntly Power Station, glass eels, koi carp entrapment, whitebaiting survey, wetland and river island restoration and a model to explore and record cultural indicators.

Explore the river map interactive and meet iwi who live along the river. Hear what the river means to them and listen to their stories about the river.

Explore the river, its taonga and its future

Sustainability and interconnectedness are themes that underpin the student activities in Tōku awa koiora. River connections help students visualise the interdependence of species within a river environment. This information is helpful to understand some of the obstacles eels and whitebait face when we modify river environments, as explored in Saving taonga. Discover how the Ake ake model uses Māori perspectives to view changes in a local environment. Then try it out with Mapping the future.

Planning and pedagogy

The teacher resource Aspects of sustainability provides a brief explanation of each of the four aspects or components of the NZC education for sustainability. It includes some of the concepts that relate to each aspect and gives examples of these concepts in the context of Tōku awa koiora.

The videos Role-play – building science knowledge and Role-play – playing the game and reflections relate how a teacher used role-play with her year 5 and 6 class to enhance learning about longfin eels.

Question bank

The Tōku Awa Koiora – question bank provides an initial list of questions restoring the Waikato River and places where their answers can be found. The questions support an inquiry approach.

Key terms

For explanations of key concepts, see Tōku awa koiora – key terms.

Timeline

Explore the timeline to look at the history of the Waikato River in New Zealand.