E hoa, e hoariri rānei? How will Corbicula Fluminea affect Te Mauri o Waiwaiā?

Intern

Tui Barrett, Kai Tahu, Ngati Maniapoto, Waikato Tainui, University of Waikato

Supervisor

Tama Blackburn, The University of Canterbury

Overview

He uri o Maniapoto have developed a cultural assessment framework and have been using it to monitor their taonga species in the waterways, mainly the Waipā river. The cultural assessment framework gives Maniapoto usable data to understand what is present and how to enhance the mauri of the waterways, which includes translocations of tuna. Te Nehenehenui Trust (Maniapoto PSGE) is managing the project for three more years, with a strong focus to increase the capacity and capabilities of the monitors to better protect and respond to threats to tāonga species and māhinga kai. 

In May 2023, a foreign invasive species (Corbicula Fluminea (CF)/Freshwater Gold Clam) was detected in the Waikato awa and there was concern that it could be present in the Waipā. 

The primary objective of this internship was to investigate two key aspects. 

1. Aimed to determine whether the CF could be categorised as a friend or foe from a Te Ao Maori perspective, and 
2. Assess CFs potential impact on the mauri of Waiwaia, the kaitiaki in the Waipa awa. 

Additionally, the report delved into potential health impacts caused by this species and proposed actionable suggestions for responding to its presence.