The far north iwi of Ngāti Kuri is getting ready for the annual count of migratory k Kuaka arriving in the Pārengarenga Harbour.
The Pakehā part of the country knows this as the flight of the Godwits.
But Ngāti Kuri is worried about recent drops in numbers, saying climate change may be the cause.
Ngāti Kuri trustee Sheridan Waitai says safeguarding the kuaka requires training the next generation in effective monitoring and protection techniques. The iwi is also encouraging people in the region to play their part in protecting the habitat of the kuaka.
“Not driving up on the sandspits, keeping our dogs away, like while they are back home - that is our obligation. To have a safe space for them to live and feed and to be home.”
Every year, kuaka (also known as godwit) embark on a non-stop migration from their breeding grounds in Siberia and Alaska to New Zealand, covering a distance of over 11,000 kilometres.
They arrive in the Northland region to take advantage of its abundant food resources, primarily in the intertidal mudflats, before eventually returning to their breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere.
“Ngāti Kuri behaves just like the kuaka,” Waitai says.
“It symbolises a lot of endurance for us, the ability to work together, leadership.”
Waitai says numbers have declined by 85% in the Pārengarenga Harbour since Ngāti Kuri started counting in 2015. She suspects it is a result of climate change.
“You can tell through the unexpected storms and cyclones we’re having that they (Kuaka) hit those weather conditions hard.”
Ngāti Kuri will begin its annual count in early October, and the kuaka will fly back to the northern hemisphere in March to breed.