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Writer's pictureNatalie Jessup

Project Evolves to Awhi Awa

Tāngaro Tuia te Ora, the Endangered Species Foundation, is honoured to announce that our successful 'Adopt a Stream' project has been renamed to 'Awhi Awa | Embrace a Stream.' This change comes in response to thoughtful feedback from communities and advisors and aims to better reflect the heart of the initiative – the restoration and care of the precious waterways of Aotearoa. The term awhi means to embrace, support, and nurture, capturing the spirit of connection and stewardship that inspires this project.


ESF Trustee Rangitahi Wharepapa, has supported this change, saying,


“Awhi Awa speaks to the care and love we have for our waterways. It's about recognising the mauri of our streams and rivers and working to bring that life force back into balance.
This name change better honours the work we're doing together to enable mātauranga, education and teachings around kaitiakitanga for the restoration of our wai, water and freshwater species.”
Rangitahi Wharepapa, Trustee of Tāngaro Tuia te Ora, The Endangered Species Foundation (ESF) with watercress at an awa (flowing waterway) near her kainga (home) on the East Cape.

Rangitahi Wharepapa, Trustee of Tāngaro Tuia te Ora, The Endangered Species Foundation (ESF) with watercress at an awa (flowing waterway) near her kainga (home) on the East Cape.


The new name "Awhi Awa" better aligns better with restorative values for te taiao and reflects our collective desire to restore ecosystems for their own inherent value, rather than creating perceptions of ownership.


Rangitahi bottling some precious fresh wai (water)

Rangitahi bottling some precious fresh wai (water) at Te Umu Hāpuku – Kereū awa, a local waterfall during a hīkoi with her pāpā before she started her current role at Raukūmara Pae Maunga, where she is working to restore the ngāhere of Te Raukūmara.


“We really love the vision of this project, which enables us to take responsibility for the water that comes out of our whare (homes) and into our waterways, and how it enables us all to learn more about our endangered freshwater fish,” says General Manager Natalie Jessup.
“As this project has evolved, and as we have engaged more with our hāpori and key advisors, we’ve made the important decision to rename this project to better reflect the essence of what we are empowering people to do”.
Natalie Jessup, GM of Tāngaro Tuia te Ora with tamariki and BUPA residents at the Mystery Creek Awhi Awa workshops.

Natalie Jessup, GM of Tāngaro Tuia te Ora with tamariki and BUPA residents at the Mystery Creek Awhi Awa workshops.


Please join us!

This project invites everyone across Aotearoa to participate in the restoration of their local streams, fostering a deeper connection with te taiao and the endangered freshwater fish that rely on healthy wai (water) to survive.


Awhi Awa | Embrace a Stream packs

Awhi Awa | Embrace a Stream packs include:


💙Information on how to awhi an awa and embrace a stream

🐟Education material about endangered freshwater ika (fish) in te reo Māori and English

💻Presentation for teachers, businesses and community groups to share with people about the project

💧How drain systems work, and why we need to restore the health of our waterways ​📝Access to education modules (4) for classrooms

🐟Signage of a tuna (longfin eel) or kōaro (native fish) made of scrap steel🪛Concrete drill and screws

📽️Video on how to apply signage

📰Subscription to our newsletter and updates on endangered species and the health of our waterways

 

If you would like to awhi an awa – embrace a stream and support this initiative – you can learn more and get involved here: https://www.endangeredspecies.org.nz/awhi-awa



  Footnote: In the interests of environmental sustainability, we will be using up the original printed Adopt a Stream A4 flyers (just 50 left).

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