Te Arawa Climate Change Working Group is made up of whānau, hapū and iwi representatives working towards identifying current and future impacts of the changing climate on our communities and local environment; and mobilising towards adaptation, resilience building and disaster risk reduction.
Te Kōmiro o Te Utuhina is an iwi-led roopu that has put our collective hands up to begin the restorative process for our tupuna awa, Te Utuhina, which runs through the middle of Ngāti Whakaue traditional lands in the heart of Rotorua. The roopu is open to anyone who feels a connection to this awa and would like to contribute towards our goal of healing the mauri of our taonga. Te kōmiro represents the coming together of ALL our whānau for our awa. The kōmiro is the river current that spins in a spiral, similar to a whirlpool. Our hope is that as we spiral like a whirlpool, we draw more and more of our whānau and community into our kaupapa of restoring our awa from the sacred spring Karamu Takina to the mouth of the Utuhina running into Lake Rotorua.
Our group started in 2008 clearing all the weeds and pest trees in the Waiewe Reserve. This reserve is in the urban area of Whakatane and is used by many walkers and walkers with dogs. We have cleared areas 1,2 and 3 and planted 4500 native plants and trees to provide food for native birds
