In just two weeks, students from Te Kura o Whangamarino have created the largest uwhi ever woven for lake restoration, measuring an impressive 7 metres by 6.4 metres.
Their mahi is part of a growing movement to protect Te Arawa lakes from invasive aquatic weeds.
Working alongside the Te Arawa Lakes Trust taiao team and Te Rōpū Raranga ki Rotorua, the tamariki harvested harakeke, learned traditional weaving techniques, and built uwhi strong enough to help restore the health of their local swimming area at Lake Rotoiti.
“We need to scale up weed control methods, make them bigger and bigger,” says Te Arawa Lakes Trust’s Environmental Officer, Sarah Wharekura.
“Within Lake Rotorua alone, there’s around fifty hectares of aquatic weeds impacting our lakes,” she says.
“To work with our tamariki gives me so much hope and makes me feel so safe and secure in the future that we have for our taiao, because they have all of the mātauranga that they need, all of the skills that they need, and they have the drive to be able to do this work into the future.”
Current threats to the lakes of Te Arawa
The Te Arawa Lakes have problems with algae from high nutrients, invasive weeds, invasive fish like catfish, sediment and pollution from runoff, changing water levels, and declining native species like kōura and kākahi.
The Uwhi will help smother and control these weeds, which have been spreading through the lakes and harming native species, swimming areas, and kai habitats. For the tamariki, the project is not only about restoring their local roto, but also about practising tikanga, strengthening mātauranga Māori, and stepping into their roles as future kaitiaki of the taiao.
Nga kaitiaki o te anamata
Tekau mā rua tau te pakeke o Jack Rikiti o Ngāti Pikiao me Tūhourangi, e ai ki tēnei tauira o Te Kura o Whangamarino, e tino hikaka ana ia ki ngā mahi tautiaki i te taiao o tōna moana o Te Rotoiti anō hoki.
“He pai te ako ngā tikanga o te tapahi harakeke a te raranga me te whakapai māra,” hei tā Jack.
“He tino mīharo te whakapai i ngā wai, te taiao hoki. He pai te whakapai i te roto nā te mea ko ngā ika, ko ngā koura,” hei tāna.
E whakaae ana hoki a Maruteao Wineera o Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Tarāwhai me Tūhourangi, tekau mā toru ōna tau.
“He tino pai te mutunga o te mahi o te uwhi,” hei tāna.
“To protect our water from weed lakes and he tino pai tērā, and we’re putting in nature in the water, and it’s not hurting the environment, he tino pai tērā,” hei tāna anō.
Tekau mā tahi tau a Rangitaia Collier o Ngāti Tarāwhai e hikaka ana ki te ako i ngā āhuatanga katoa o te mahi uwhi. “Na te mea ka mahi tahi mātou te mahi uwhi, he pai tērā.”
