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For iwi, hapū and whānau
- Straw bales as temporary inanga spawning habitat – download our te reo guide to use straw bales to find the places where inanga spawn in your area.
- Ngā Waihotanga Iho – iwi estuarine monitoring toolkit to help tangata whenua measure environmental changes in their estuaries.
- Māori environmental performance indicators for wetland condition and trend (PDF, 437K).
- Manaaki Taha Moana – enhancing Coastal Ecosystems for Iwi (with Tauranga and Horowhenua case studies).
- State of the Takiwā Te Āhuatanga o Te Ihutai (PDF, 6.538K) – cultural health assessment of the Avon-Heathcote estuary and its catchment.
- Iwi estuarine indicators for Nelson report (PDF, 1,387K) – prepared by Landcare Research for Nelson City Council, to provide technical advise and expertise on cultural monitoring tools for estuarine areas.
- Natural resource and environmental iwi management plan for Murihiku/Southland – developed by Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku in 2008.
- Ngā Aroturukitanga tika mō ngā Kaitiaki (PDF, 1,504K) – summary review of mātauranga Māori frameworks, approaches, and culturally appropriate monitoring tools for management of mahinga kai.
- Te Uri o Hau Framework and Model – Kaipara – bicultural tools for biodiversity measurement and monitoring.
- He Mahere Pāhekoheko Mō - Integrated Kaipara Harbour management – framework of comanagement to connect and utilize indigenous Māori values and knowledge alongside principles of ecosystem-based management.
Identification guides
Guide to the common animals and plants living on sandy and muddy seashores:
- English: North Island (PDF, 2,530K) and South Island (PDF, 2,460K).
- Māori: North Island (PDF, 1,450K) and South Island (PDF, 1,370K).
See also the experiencing estuaries map for guides and resources specific to a location.
Education resources
- Protecting our Estuaries – DOC resource for students to learn about and protect our unique estuarine environments (Levels: 1–4)
- Estuary survey – DOC resource to carry out an estuary survey and learn about the local marine environment.
- Harbours, bays and estuaries – DOC resource that introduces students to species that depend on estuaries (like cockles, snapper and whitebait) via interviews with three scientists
- NIWA teaching and student resources
See also the experiencing estuaries map for guides and resources specific to a location.
Monitoring estuaries
Resources to help you plan monitoring and restoration in your own special places:
- Land Air Water Aotearoa – detailed information on freshwater and coastal water quality data from around the country.
- iNaturalist NZ – Mātaki Taiao is a global database of observations of the natural world.
- Marine Metre Squared Project – project encouraging long term monitoring of marine environments by providing easy ways to get involved including guides and data sheets for sandy and muddy shores.
- eBird – contribute to science and conservation by recording the birds you see on these interactive maps, plus see all other sightings.
- Restore the Meadows Aotearoa Seagrass Flower Survey Database: download the App and get started.
Restoring estuaries
- Turning the Tide – comprehensive toolkit to help communities restore and monitor estuaries.
- Restoring shellfish beds to harbours and estuaries (PDF, 985K) – NIWA guide for community groups undertaking a shellfish restoration project.
- DOC harbours, bays and estuaries teaching resource – cockles, snapper and whitebait (galaxiids) are some of the fascinating fish and shellfish that depend on estuaries.
- NIWA teaching and student resources.
Poster
- Download a poster (PDF, 1.340K) about 'Our Estuaries'.