Tuna and their kainga, our waterways, are under threat.

In this three part mini documentary series ‘He Reo Whakamana’, Te Wai Māori Trust travels to three different waterways, once significant mahinga kai areas, to capture the state of the tuna, waterways and hear from kaitiaki who are working to protect and enhance these taonga.

He Reo Whakamana is about restoring the mana of these taonga – listening to what they are telling us about their health and wellbeing.

Trailer for He reo tō te tuna

Trailer for He reo tō te manga

Trailer for He reo tō te kāinga

He Reo Whakamana pays tribute to our guiding whakatauki.

He reo tō te wai, he reo anō tō te tangata, kotahi tonu te whakapapa, whakakotahitia.

Water has a language, and so too do people have theirs, both born of one whakapapa, united.

This whakatauki acknowledges the importance of using our language and the language of our taonga in decision-making processes. We are excited to invite tamariki to get to know their awa and use their voice to share their findings for example with local councils and other decision-makers 

It’s our responsibility to use our our voice to support tuna.

Sign up to our mailing list to keep in the loop about our mahi, or take a look at the resources we have developed for whānau and kura to learn about the health of their local waterway and the freshwater fish who live there.  

The three resources encourage tamariki to work with whānau or kaiako to first assess the health of their local waterways using an info pack and worksheet, and then to effect change by sending a letter and their findings to local and regional decision-makers. It’s a scientific inquiry process underpinned by a te ao Māori perspective.

Click on the images below to download the resources or sign up to our mailing list.

He reo tō te wai
He reo tō te tangata
Kotahi tonu te whakapapa, whakakotahitia!

Our water has its language | As too do our people have theirs | Both born of one whakapapa, United!.