Kelp Gardeners

The Kelp Gardeners Project is a community conservation and regeneration activity, managed via the Waiheke Marine Project. The project is now in its fourth effective season in its continued efforts to ease pressure on rimurimu (seaweed) so that we may regenerate and improve the vitality of near-shore reef systems of Waiheke Island.

The activity of Kelp Gardening is an incredibly powerful tool for people to learn about and contribute to marine care. This project works at the interface of all knowledge systems: science, place-based, and especially mātauranga Māori. With Ngāti Paoa ki Waiheke’s mātauranga at the forefront of our project and methodology, we aspire to prompt volunteers and the local community to think more about the moana (ocean) and the wider mauri (life force) of Tīkapa Moana (Hauraki Gulf).

Kina are a taonga species with their own mauri, mana, and tapū. Simply stated, kina have their own intrinsic value and right to exist independently of other species. Their role in the natural world is important. Humans have overfished Tīkapa Moana, removing keystone predators; tāmure (snapper) and kōura (crayfish). It is not the kina’s fault they are overpopulated - it is ours. It is now our job to help rebalance these ecosystems as best we can.

The project employs an indigenous perspective that is holistic in order to foster a broader understanding of how people interact with taonga (such as kina) in the marine environment.

Come spend a day with us

Kelp Gardeners prioritises all knowledge: science, local, and especially mātauranga Māori.

History of Kelp Gardeners

2019-2021

Championed by Mark Russel and supported by Adam Whatton, Tim Haggit and Karla Allies, from 2019-2021, Kelp Gardeners was established. The Kelp Gardeners (KG) project set out to pilot an approach to reversing the occurrence of kina barrens in Tīkapa Moana. The project was designed to test whether a unique approach involving community members to control kina populations can lead to the regeneration of seaweed habitat. The project was seen as having the potential to make a positive contribution to the health of shallow subtidal rocky reef marine ecosystems with Tīkapa Moana and to the region's carbon footprint. A rigorous research process measuring the presence of kina as well as the regrowth of seaweed (led by Tim Haggit).

2021

In October 2021, it was agreed for the Kelp Gardeners project to be integrated into Phase Two of the Waiheke Marine Project. This created an opportunity for Kelp Gardeners to complement the other projects and activities happening in a whole-of-island marine space. Integration would allow the enhancement of relationships and connection with mana i te whenua of the Waiheke Marine Project - Ngāti Paoa.

2022

In late October 2022, a Kelp Gardeners sub-group (Pipi) was formed to truly champion KG activity from a mana whenua lens. This subgroup is led by Ngāti Paoa ki Waiheke ensuring the regeneration of inner shore reef systems around Te Motu-arai-roa (Waiheke Island) are revitalised and effectively done so through a te ao Māori lens (the Māori world view).

2023 onward

The Kelp Gardeners Project is embarking on an exciting journey, expanding upon its existing groundwork and guided by the principles of mātauranga Māori and kaupapa Māori. Over the past three years, our primary approach has been the respectful removal of kina, which has yielded impressive results. As we move forward into 2023, our aim is to explore supplementary methods that could facilitate even faster regeneration across larger coastal regions. One such avenue involves studying the effectiveness of reseeding kelp and ensuring the successful transplantation of kelp in the Enclosure Bay vicinity. We are eager to investigate these possibilities and continue our mission to promote thriving kelp ecosystems.

FAQS

What is Kelp Gardening ?

Kelp Gardening could be described as acting as the kinas’ natural predators through removing the large kina in the aim to enable rimurimu regeneration and rebalance the ecosystem. Another way it may be described is the ‘respectful removal of kina’.

Kina are not pests, instead their overpopulation of an area is a tohu (sign) of an unbalanced ecosystem.Tāmure (snapper) and kōura (crayfish) populations, the keystone predators of kina, have been hit significantly hard throughout Tikapa Moana. As a result, it has allowed for the kina to increase in density and abundance resulting in what is commonly referred to as ‘kina barrens’. We aim to change the narrative around kina barrens, in acknowledging kina as a taonga species with their own mauri, mana, and tapū.

Kina have their own extrinsic value and right to exist independently of other species. Their role in the natural world is important. It is not the kinas fault they are overpopulated, it is ours. It is now our job to help the taiao rebalance these ecosystems as best we can.

What does it mean to employ all knowledge systems ?

The Kelp Gardeners Project prioritises all knowledge: science, local, and especially mātauranga Māori.

Recognizing and respecting the validity and significance of all of these knowledge systems can foster innovative approaches to marine care.

The Kelp Gardeners Project takes an Indigenous informed approach to marine care . We operate out from a holistically indigenous perspective to achieve greater empathy for our human relationship to that of taonga in the marine environment (capacity). We are led out by Ngāti Pāoa Ki Waiheke (NPKW) to revitalise and regenerate the inner shore reef systems of Waiheke.

What do you do with the kina ?

• On our engagement dive days, we get amazing groups of snorkelers and scubas out to remove kina from our 50m2 test zone.

• We remove kina that are ~6 cm or larger in diameter, place them into catch bags which remain under water, and then bring them to shore.

• We weigh and measure the kina

• Within 30 minutes of the kina being removed from the moana, we weigh and measure (diameter) of the kina. This is then kept with the data from the other dive days. We also observe the taiao around us in and out of the moana and include that within our observations.

• We distribute the kina to whānau across Waiheke Island

• At the close of the dive day, we distribute the kina to different whānau across the island. This aligns with our commitment to zero waste. We never have any kina left over!

What benefits have you seen in the test zone ?

The Kelp Gardeners project contracted Dr Tim Haggit to undertake surveys of the 50m2 test zone. His findings include:

• Kina had reduced density and size

• There has been increased abundance and/or percent cover of the brown algae

How can it get involved ?

We would love for you to get involved. Come along to our dive days, bring a friend along, we want to see you there!

You can stay updated of when these will be by following @waihekemarineproject on Instagram, staying updated on the events tab here, and following the Kelp Gardeners Facebook page.

Volunteer Testimonials

“The dive was amazing! We saw a decent sized kōura out in the bay, which was such a great sign of what you guys are doing. We also saw snapper, starfish, and some other life. There was less kina than we thought there would be so we thought that was an amazing sign”

“The dive day was a unique experience that connected us and the sea. Thank you kind souls. I had the best time and am interested in doing more with you all.”

‘The project is amazing and it means so much to me to be able to help protect the amazing NZ marine environment (while having an awesome day out). I hope to be back again soon! Let’s keep doing this. Kia ora.”

“I signed up to do a Kelp Gardener dive as it really resonated with me. Growing up at the beach in Auckland I can see the difference in life under the water from when I was growing up until now. It felt good to be part of a team doing something to help the health of our moana. I learnt so much on the day about the behaviour of kina and how they tie in to tikanga Māori.”

Meet the Rōpū

Darleen Tana Hoff-Nielson - Kaiārahi

Brianna Marvin - Pipi Coordinator

Emily Griffiths- NPKW Intern

Leigh Takirau - NPKW

Leanne Castle - NPKW

Jeanine Clarkin - Steering Group & NPKW

The Kelp Gardeners Pipi has its own legacy Facebook page