On the land’s surface, lakes, rivers / awa and ponds are the most common freshwater environments. Tangata whenua have strong connections to their awa as part of their genealogy because fresh water sustains the taniwha and protects wāhi tapu (sacred areas).
Many of our native freshwater fauna live in rivers and streams, and may separate themselves into slow-flowing water, pools or rapids depending on the oxygen levels, nutrients, temperatures and sedimentation. One way scientists can assess stream water quality is by looking at which faunal communities are present! Here are some of our lake and river dwellers.
Did you know that we have native crayfish in our fresh water? Our little kōura grow up to 80mm long and do most of their movement at night. When frightened, they flick their tail forward violently, shooting themselves back into their shelter.
These scaleless fish are named for their galaxy-like gold flecks and patterns. Some of our galaxiid species migrate to sea to breed, but others live their entire lives where they hatch. We have 25 species of galaxiids here, including the īnanga and kōkopu. Some species, such as the banded, giant and shortjaw kōkopu, are found nowhere but Aotearoa. Others, such as the clutha galaxiid, are only found in a single catchment!
Did you know juvenile galaxiids are what we call ‘whitebait’?
The English name, torrentfish, says it all. These fish live in white rapids and use their flat head and pectoral fins to anchor to the riverbed. Panoko are part of the family ‘Cheimarrichthyidae’, but are its only known species!
Groundwater and cave habitats are valuable underground water stores, and may support the water table even when rivers run dry over summer. They are very dark, so they can’t support plant life. Despite this, animals survive here, relying on food that comes from outside the system.
We don’t give much thought to our underground waters, but stygofauna spend their entire lives there! The term ‘stygofauna’ collectively refers to fauna that live in groundwater systems.
In Aotearoa, these range from crustaceans and gastropod snails to flatworms and beetles. Some even live 20 metres below ground level. We have a huge diversity of species in Aotearoa: there are 130 known, but experts think there could be as many as 450 species here.
Wetlands are areas where the water table is at or near the land surface, making it permanently or temporarily covered in either fresh water or salt water. These habitats are important for preventing floods, catching sediment, supporting nutrient cycles and supporting native species like tuna / eels. Sadly, Aotearoa has lost more than 90 percent of its wetlands to make way for farms and houses.
At up to two metres long, the longfin tuna is one of the largest eels in the world. They live only in Aotearoa, except for a trip to somewhere near Tonga or east of New Caledonia for breeding — amazingly, the exact location is still unknown!
Freshwater habitats
Department of Conservation
Groundwater habitats
NIWA
Wetlands
Department of Conservation
Wetland Trust
Kōura / freshwater crayfish
Department of Conservation
Stygofauna
NIWA
Panoko / torrentfish
Science Learning Hub
NIWA
Tuna / longfin eel
Manaaki Tuna
Galaxiids
Department of Conservation
Te Ara
Key regenerative practices to implement in our cities
Nature provides us with various ways of powering our buildings and infrastructure. As we know, some of these ways are more damaging than others. That’s why The Flagship uses solar power — we aim to generate 105 percent of our energy needs. That way, we’re not only powering ourselves, but also contributing environmentally friendly power back to the grid.
Nature provides us with fresh water and too often we repay it with polluted water. At The Flagship, we collect and filter rainwater for drinking. And rather than giving back dirty water, we treat it on site in the same way nature treats water, through a wetland! Our above-ground wetland sends water back into the municipal system with as little contamination as possible.
We also have fantastic composting toilets to treat our black water on site.
New buildings can put a lot of strain on nature in the demand for new resources and through the creation of construction waste. One regenerative practice is ‘recycling’ land and buildings.
Eighty-five percent of the materials used in The Flagship are recycled. Used shipping containers make up the main structure and we reverse-engineered the design around specific beams, giving old steel a new life.
While it opened in 2017, most of The Flagship’s core structure is more than 60 years old! It also occupies a space that was once 18 car parks.
Part of being regenerative is to foster harmony in our urban spaces and inspire people to look after our natural world.
At The Flagship, an abundance of plants and natural materials make it a beautiful place to occupy. We are also located on reclaimed land that was once ocean, so through our educational signage, we aim to reconnect people to the area’s origins.
Through their many projects, workshops, community gardens, and collaborations with local businesses and groups, For the Love of Bees do an amazing job at connecting people with nature itself and solutions to some of the problems it’s facing.
Composting your food waste is a fantastic regenerative practice. What could have been releasing harmful methane in landfill is turned into an invaluable resource for growing food.
As an awesome example of making a regenerative practice more accessible, For the Love of Bees set up a ‘community composting hub’ for use by the Wynyard Quarter restaurants, one of many they have set up. This type of community engagement and outreach is what can make regenerative practices widespread.
Making use of our urban spaces to grow food is a great way to reduce the impact of the supply chain on nature. Store-bought food involves packaging and multiple means of transportation, so growing locally can skip all that.
For the Love of Bees have a goal to have an urban farm every 1km. They have several already, which follow regenerative agriculture techniques — see the video below for an explanation of what regenerative agriculture involves.
Single-use plastic bottles are out, but carrying a refillable water bottle is in! Use the Refill NZ app to find a nearby water refill station.
If you need to get yourself a good-quality water bottle, check out our range here.
Keen for something other than water? Try looking for glass bottles or a can first! If a plastic bottle is your only option, make sure you know your recycling labels and only buy bottles that can be recycled! Remember, recycling should always be your last resort!
Could your street or beach use some love? Request a Sustainable Coastlines DIY kit and organise your own beach or street clean up!
Too busy to do a clean-up yourself but still want to help out? Leave a donation!
Want to get more involved with the work we do at Sustainable Coastlines? Become a member!
This study aims to look at how environmental education programs, such as our Love Your Water program, can foster a connection to nature within their programme.
This research is being run in conjunction with Sara Stuart, a Masters student in Environmental Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. As part of her degree she is undertaking a research project leading to a thesis examining how New Zealand children perceive connection to nature and how this correlates with pro-environmental behaviour.
Children participants aged 8-12 who are involved in our ‘Love Your Water’ freshwater education program are invited to take part in this research. Surveys, designed to take approximately 10 minutes to complete, and randomly conducted interviews of approximately 5 minutes will form the basis of this research project.
As part of a class exercise, participants will be asked if they would like to participate in a survey. Teachers will administer the surveys in the classroom and collect them surveys upon completion. Examples of the survey questions are:
Interviews will be conducted during the tree planting event and 1-2 students in the class will be asked to participate. Students will first be asked if they would like to participate and if they agree then they will be asked to check “I agree to participate in this interview” on their own Consent Form. The interview will be voice recorded. Examples of the interview questions are:
For more information on this study please download the ‘Parent’s Information Sheet’ through the link on the right.
Survey + Field Trip Consent Form: For parents to find out more about Sustainable Coastlines’ ‘Love Your Water’ surveys and tree planting activities and consent to their children participating. Download here
Masters Study Consent Form: Requests consent from the participant’s parent or legal guardian for their child to participate in the Victoria University of Wellington research about Connection to Nature; conducted by Sara Stuart. Download here
Masters Study Information Sheet: Information for the participant’s parent(s) about the study, what is involved, what happens with the information that participants provide and contact details for questions or comments. Download here
Participant’s Consent Form: Provided to the 2-3 children who will be asked to participate in a short interview on the day of the tree planting event. Download here
Participant’s Information Sheet: Same as the Masters Study Information Sheet, but in child-appropriate language. Download here
Surveys: The written ‘Baseline’ survey that participants complete prior to our visit to their school classroom. Download here
Interview Questions: A summary of the questions that will be asked of the participants (2-3 total) during the tree planting activity. Download here
School Principal Consent Form: Requests permission from the school principal for their school to participate in the study. Download here
School Teacher(s) Consent Form: Requests permissions from the school teacher(s) to allow Sara Stuart to participate in their class events as a researcher. Download here
Presentation example: Click here to see the Love Your Water presentation delivered to participants as part of this study.
This research project has received approval from the Victoria University Human Ethics Committee. For more detail on this please refer to the Victoria University Ethics Policy by clicking here.
A summary of the primary ethical considerations for this study are listed below:
If you have any ethical concerns about the research please contact Associate Professor Susan Corbett ([email protected]), ph: 04 463 5676, Convener of the Victoria University Human Ethics Committee.
