Hokianga Harbor Care Incorporated — Tiaki Nga Wai O Hokianga

This Northland catchment group’s purpose is clear – to improve the health of Hokianga Harbour by healing the waterways and catchments that flow into it.

Hokianga Harbour Care – Tiaki Nga Wai O Hokianga – began in 2017 as a modest group growing native plants for the local community. By working closely with landowners, they used the plants to establish a network of riparian buffers across their land.

Since then, the group has successfully turned an ecological challenge into a community-led success story.

Their determination is exemplified by the recently completed South Hokianga Catchment Project. This massive four-year undertaking spanned the district, delivering restoration work from the Waihou to the Waimamaku River.

Covering almost every sub-catchment in South Hokianga, the team established over 100 restoration sites across more than 90 properties.

The project included growing nearly 400,000 native plants – many of which were eco-sourced – and planting them across about 90ha of land. The group also constructed 72km of exclusion fencing to protect waterways from stock.

They’ve hosted more than 70 community events, plus the project bolstered the community by providing employment for 32 locals – fostering a new generation of leadership within the sector.

With a successful foundation laid, the group is now working on its next chapter – a three-year initiative known as Taonga Wai Ora which builds on gains made over the past decade. The team is now offering strategic advice to help other groups and landowners secure funding, ensuring the restoration movement continues to grow.

At the same time, they have launched a significant weed control campaign around locally significant rivers – removing invasive species and re-establishing native plants in these sites.

Combined with its active community engagement, the work of Tiaki Nga Wai O Hokianga looks set to continue inspiring the community – ultimately securing a healthy future for the harbour.