Lesley Buys Awhi Awa Pack for Her Niece to Inspire Care for Tuna
- Natalie Jessup
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Lesley Yelash has always found ways to care for the world around her. At 80, she lives at Bupa Retirement Village, St Andrew’s, Hamilton, sharing her home with Chatterbox, her very talkative rescue cat.
This Christmas, she chose to support the Awhi Awa | Embrace a Stream project by gifting the Tuna | Longfin eel pack to her niece. Her niece shares Lesley’s commitment to environmental care, so the gift was both personal and practical.
Lesley remembers summers at Opoutere, watching thousands of longfin eels move with the tide, feed under the mangroves, and return to the estuary. Those early experiences shaped her understanding of healthy waterways and the importance of protecting them.
The Awhi Awa project is a community-led initiative that helps people reconnect with local streams and understand the pressures on native freshwater species. It provides ways that people can look after urban streams and schools, whānau, workplaces, and community groups can take part in simple, ongoing actions that support the wellbeing of taonga species.
The Awhi Awa kete includes: • Educational materials in English and te reo Māori about threatened freshwater species such as tuna | longfin eel, kōaro | native fish, Māui or Hector's dolphins, and kanakana or piharau. • A presentation suitable for schools, community groups, or workplaces • A steel tuna sign made from scrap steel, with screws and a concrete drill bit • A how-to video showing safe installation • Access to a newsletter with updates on waterways, species protection, and practical ways to restore streams
For Lesley, the gift reflects her lifelong focus on care and practical action. Lesley still cares deeply for animals and is currently sewing dog beds and coats for rescue pups, continuing decades of involvement in animal welfare.
She hopes her niece will use the pack to connect with her local, urban waterway, learn about the pressures facing tuna and other native species, and take steps that contribute to healthy waterways for the future.
If you would like to get an Awhi Awa Kete for yourself or someone you love you can buy one on our website.
