Greater Wellington — Whaitua te Whanganui-a-Tara

Healthy waterways are essential, and working together to get and keep them healthy benefits us all. Over time our rivers and streams have degraded.

A Committee of local people from Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt and Wellington was established in 2018. Their goal was to help implement government regulations for improving water quality.

The 17-person Committee was co-chaired by Mana Whenua and a community member. They first adopted a set of kawa/principles to help drive their work, and then set about developing a programme to restore wai ora (healthy water) in the next 100 years.

A Mana Whenua committee, Te Kāhui Taiao, was also created - comprising of representatives from Taranaki Whānui and Ngāti Toa Rangatira.

Why is it needed?

Our waterways have been degrading, and will continue to do so without big changes. The desire for change is clear – not only from government regulation, but it’s also what our Mana Whenua partners and community expect. The simple concept is to put water first – te Mana o te Wai.

Ka ora te wai – If the water is cared for
Ka ora te whenua – The land will be nourished
Ka ora te whenua – If the land is nourished
Ka ora te tangata – The people will prosper

Whaitua Implementation Programmes

Two documents were produced, which must be read, implemented and woven together to ensure the objectives and recommendations in both reports are met.

Te Kāhui Taiao produced Te Mahere Wai, a Mana Whenua Whaitua Implementation Programme. It establishes Mana Whenua values, water quality objectives, and a Mātauranga Māori assessment framework (te Oranga Wai).

Te Mahere Wai o Te Kāhui Taiao

A Mana Whenua whaitua implementation plan to return mana to our freshwater bodies. Read more here

Published 01 Nov 2021

Download now (PDF 4.6 MB)

The full committee produced Te Whanganui-a-Tara Whaitua Implementation Programme.

Te Whaitua te Whanganui-a-Tara Implementation Programme

In 2019, the members of the newly established Whanganuia-Tara Whaitua Committee from Wellington, Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt, accompanied by Greater Wellington (Greater Wellington Regional Council) Councillors and staff members,… Read more here

Published 01 Nov 2021

Download now (PDF 4.6 MB)

The documents feature recommendations, information on issues in each sub-catchment, and pathways to wai ora.

You can watch the addresses from the launch event, including the Committee co-chairs, mana whenua leaders and Greater Wellington chair Daran Ponter.

Read the latest progress update

Interactive catchment map and information

- When we launched the WIP, we built a website sharing detailed information about the catchments. This includes interactive maps, photos, and water health targets. Check out this handy tool
- To jump straight to sub-catchment information, follow these links:
Te Mahere Wai recommendations
Whaitua Implementation Programme recommendations

What guided us

Te Kawa Ora/ The Natural Systems of Life

Ko te Te Whanganui a Tara Whaitua te mātāpuna o te ora.

The waters give life.

Te Kawa Wai/ The Natural Systems of Water

E rere kau mai ngā wai iti, ngā wai roa, ngā wai nui, ngā wai puna, ngā wai tuku kiri mai i ngā pae maunga ki Tangaroa.

The waters flow from the mountains and hills to the sea.

Te Kawa Honohono / The Protocols of Unity

Ngā manga iti, ngā manga nui e piripiri kau ana, ka tupu ngā awa, ka tupu te taurikura o ngā tangata katoa.

The small and large streams that flow into one another form the numerous rivers, harbour and coast which provide nourishment for all.