Each month our pānui (newsletter) includes a feature story from a group, hapū or school participating in Wai Tuwhera o te Taiao. We also showcase a unique critter found in eDNA samples across the country.
Curious critter for July/Hōngongoi
Our curious critter this month is the mayfly – a type of insect found near freshwater all over the world.
Putting a STOP to environmental degradation
We visited the Otago Peninsula for a workshop NZ Marine Studies Centre in February. Lala Frazer from Save the Otago Peninsula was there and, to our delight, invited us to visit the area she sampled and see the work they do.
Curious critter for April/Paengawhāwhā
As the the leaves begin to fall from trees and dew clings to the ground in the early morning, we shine the light on kōura/kēwai. Read on to learn more about this taonga and valued mahinga kai species.
Residents band together for a Wellington Stream
Following repeated pollution in their local stream, locals have banded together to provide information and access to the stream for their community, using eDNA in the process.
Critter of the month for December/Hakihea
The Wai Tuwhera o te Taiao critter of the month for December/Hakihea is the mānuka moth (also known as Declana floccosa, or the forest semilooper moth).
Read on to find out why two scientists spent 42 years studying these moths in their backyard.
Te Whenua Tōmuri Trust trains kaitiaki in eDNA sampling
The Trust, through its taiao monitoring project Maru Wai Matara, has so far helped iwi and hapū kaitiaki and school children take 35 eDNA samples from waterways around Taranaki!
Critter of the month for October/Whiringa-ā-nuku
The Wai Tuwhera o te Taiao critter of the month for October/Whiringa-ā-nuku is the kaikōmako tree.
Wait a second, that’s not a critter… it’s a plant! But we think for supporting the many critters in their bubbles, kaikōmako deserve a shout out.
“Dead muddy ditch” is in fact teeming with life
The Ōtokia Creek and Marsh Habitat Trust of Brighton, Dunedin, have always known their little creek was special. Using eDNA has given them an opportunity to showcase some of the biodiversity.
Critter of the month - July/Hōngongoi
The critter of the month for July/Hōngongoi is Aotearoa New Zealand's most colourful native fish, the redfin bully.
Ngā Kaimanaaki o te Waimapihi / Polhill Protectors focus on stream health
After receiving their eDNA results, Ngā Kaimanaaki o te Waimapihi / Polhill Protectors have increased their focus on stream health, exploring the biodiversity, history and whakapapa of a stream that flows beneath Wellington City.
Critter of the month – June / Pipiri
This month, the pouched lamprey / kanakana / piharau (Geotria australis) is crowned critter of the month.
The DNA of this elusive and ancient migratory fish was found in a wetland area on the West Coast by the Ōkārito Community Association.
Kids restore the Kepler, and discover a rare species in the process
When Fiordland College Year 10 students used eDNA in their ongoing stream comparison study, they were not expecting to find a previously unrecorded species lurking in the stream.
Critter of the month - May / Haratua
This month’s critter is Archichauliodes diversus (puene), the New Zealand dobsonfly.