Whangaroa Harbour is important to many people and organisations and provides a range of cultural, social, environmental, and economic benefits. The harbour is one of the most important sites for Moana New Zealand’s oyster farming operations, contributing approximately 29% of the company’s oyster production currently.
The study set out to understand the current state of the catchment, what stressors impact the harbour’s health and wellbeing, and to develop a response plan to inform actions that Moana, and others, may take to improve the harbour’s health.
The report uses the nature’s contributions to people framework which has developed the earlier ecosystem-services review methodology. This is the first time that nature contributions to people framework has been applied to the marine environment in New Zealand. We offer this study and report to inform future conversations about how to improve the health of Whangaroa catchment and harbour.
Study objectives
- Create an information baseline from available monitoring data to understand the current state of the catchment;
- Understand what stressors impact harbour health;
- Understand the impact of the stressors on the harbour’s potential to contribute to our wellbeing;
- Develop a response plan to inform actions that Moana New Zealand and others may take to improve harbour health
Read the full report: Whangaroa Harbour and Catchment Study
Read the summary report: Whangaroa Harbour and Catchment Study
