TE
AWARUA
Join us in rejuvenating the future of Te Awarua together...
KAI ORA
Before people arrived, the harbour breathed — a living lung of land and sea. Its taniwha watched, its waters spoke.
A Living Story of Transformation, Kaitiakitanga and Return.
Today, through platforms like Ko Te Karanga nō Te Awarua o Parirua — a visualisation project and storytelling initiative developed by Ngāti Toa Rangatira in partnership with PHF Science — the harbour speaks again. Powered by the Te Awarua Flow Model, the platform merges science, cultural
narrative and lived experience to bring data to life. It enables decision-makers, communities, and rangatahi to see, feel, and respond to the changing health of their awa and harbour. It is more than a tool — it is a digital pou, a living expression of restoration and resurgence.
With the arrival of Ngāti Toa, the harbour became the womb of sustenance, identity, and whakapapa.
Stories and songs were etched into the shoreline.
A hand-coloured engraving by Samuel Brees shows Porirua Harbour as it was in 1847. Ref: B-070011. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.
Porirua Harbour and Paremata. Shows the ruins of the Paremata Redoubt in the distance, with close oversight. Photograph taken circa 1879 by G.W. Wilson. Ref: 1/2-032046.
Porirua Harbour and Paremata. Shows the ruins of the Paremata Redoubt in the distance, with close oversight. Photograph taken circa 1879 by G.W. Wilson. Ref: 1/2-032046.
Porirua Harbour and Paremata. Shows the ruins of the Paremata Redoubt in the distance, with close oversight. Photograph taken circa 1879 by G.W. Wilson. Ref: 1/2-032046.
Porirua Harbour and Paremata. Shows the ruins of the Paremata Redoubt in the distance, with close oversight. Photograph taken circa 1879 by G.W. Wilson. Ref: 1/2-032046.
Through the weaving of ancestral knowledge, scientific inquiry, and shared concern, a kaupapa took form — one that would begin to restore the hauora and voice of the harbour.
Through the weaving of ancestral knowledge, scientific inquiry, and shared concern, a kaupapa took form — one that would begin to restore the hauora and voice of the harbour.
Through the weaving of ancestral knowledge, scientific inquiry, and shared concern, a kaupapa took form — one that would begin to restore the hauora and voice of the harbour.
[Text TBC] Manawhenua collecting tuangi with intention and restraint, guided by tikanga and clear limits. Fishing occurs from the edges. Tamariki play near the water, not over it. Monitoring tools are present but unobtrusive.
Through the weaving of ancestral knowledge, scientific inquiry, and shared concern, a kaupapa took form — one that would begin to restore the hauora and voice of the harbour.
[Text TBC] People should never dominate the frame. I see manawhenua collecting tuangi with intention and restraint, guided by tikanga and clear limits. Fishing occurs from the edges. Tamariki play near the water, not over it. Monitoring tools are present but unobtrusive.
[Text TBC] Freshwater inputs should remain visible and active. Awa clearly feed Te Awarua, with discernible freshwater–saltwater mixing and restored riparian margins slowing and filtering flow. Tamariki and rangatahi sampling at stream mouths reinforces that water quality is observed, measured, and cared for. Sea-level rise should be calm but unavoidable. Expanded saltmarsh, reshaped shorelines at Te Hiko Street and Tangare, and adapted harbour edges that accept change rather than resist it.
In recent years, as the health of Te Awarua declined and its mauri flickered beneath layers of silt, pollutants, and policy,
Ngāti Toa and key allies began to respond...
In recent years, as the health of Te Awarua declined and its mauri flickered beneath layers of silt, pollutants, and policy,
Ngāti Toa and key allies began to respond...
MAURI IS RESTORED
Te Awarua thrives again – a harbour alive with hauora.
Porirua Harbour and Paremata. Shows the ruins of the Paremata Redoubt in the distance, with close oversight. Photograph taken circa 1879 by G.W. Wilson. Ref: 1/2-032046.
Porirua Harbour and Paremata. Shows the ruins of the Paremata Redoubt in the distance, with close oversight. Photograph taken circa 1879 by G.W. Wilson. Ref: 1/2-032046.
Porirua Harbour and Paremata. Shows the ruins of the Paremata Redoubt in the distance, with close oversight. Photograph taken circa 1879 by G.W. Wilson. Ref: 1/2-032046.
OUR PAST
OUR PRESENT
OUR FUTURE
Through the weaving of ancestral knowledge and science, the harbour speaks again.
Ko Te Karanga no Te Awarua o Porirua brings together data, story and care — a digital pou of restoration and resurgence.
EXPLORE
I am the flowing water, holding the pulse of land and people. My rhythm carved the estuary, nurtured life, and carried stories of Ngāti Toa.
To be provided – Introductory/explanatory paragraph that talks to the videos and reports.
To be provided – Introductory/explanatory paragraph that talks to the videos and reports.
Grab Sampling
Grab Sampling
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Passive Sampling
Passive Sampling
Short description about passive sampling methods and results.
Microplastic Monitoring
Microplastic Monitoring
Overview of fresh water analysis and findings.
Fresh Water
Fresh Water
Overview of fresh water analysis and findings.
THEFUTURE
MAURI IS RESTORED
Te Awarua thrives again –
a harbour alive with hauora.
Join us in rejuvenating the
future of Te Awarua together
RESOURCES
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