Protecting Our Sacred Ocean Areas.
We are working to safeguard the most significant marine sites across our rohe, led by hapū, iwi, and whenua trusts who hold deep ancestral connection to these waters. These zones will serve as places of healing, learning, and long-term marine protection.
Motuhi & Parerangi
Location: Bland Bay, Whangaruru
A proposed 500m marine protection buffer zone surrounding these islands.
- Led by: Ngāti Wai ki Whangaruru Whenua Tōpu Trust (Māori Reservation)
- Hapū: Te Uri o Hikihiki, Ngāti Tautahi
- Iwi: Ngāti Wai, Ngāpuhi
Tokararangi Reef
Location: Kauri Bay, Whangaruru Harbour
A proposed 500m marine protection buffer zone surrounding these islands.
- Led by: Otetao Reti Marae
- Hapū: Te Uri o Hikihiki, Kapotai
- Iwi: Ngāti Wai, Ngāpuhi
Whapukapirau
Location: Rāwhiti, Ipipiri, Bay of Islands
A culturally significant coastal area slated for long-term stewardship.
- Led by: Kaingahoa Marae
- Hapū: Patu Keha
- Iwi: Ngāpuhi
Our Manifesto.
We are the ones who remember. The ones who still feel the tides pulling at our bones. The ones who still hear the ocean breathing through the reefs and rivers.
Where others see open water, we see home. Where others see a fading world, we see a world waiting to be rediscovered. We were raised by the winds, the currents, the voices of ancestors whispering through the waves.
And now, we answer their call. We do not harvest. We do not conquer. We garden. We grow. We give back.
With every Maara Moana we plant, we are restoring ecosystems just as much as we are restoring hope. We are weaving life back into the waters. We are teaching the next generation how to tend to the heartbeat of our world.
We walk with two feet: One planted in the wisdom of our tūpuna (ancestors), and one stepping boldly into the science and tools of today.
We are not trapped by old ways. We are not waiting for permission. We are building the future with our own hands — One garden, one community, one thriving moana at a time.
The work that we do is beyond conservation. This is resurrection. This is food for our families, freedom for our people, and a living legacy for those not yet born.
Where others see open water, we see home. Where others see a fading world, we see a world waiting to be rediscovered. We were raised by the winds, the currents, the voices of ancestors whispering through the waves.
And now, we answer their call. We do not harvest. We do not conquer. We garden. We grow. We give back.
With every Maara Moana we plant, we are restoring ecosystems just as much as we are restoring hope. We are weaving life back into the waters. We are teaching the next generation how to tend to the heartbeat of our world.
We walk with two feet: One planted in the wisdom of our tūpuna (ancestors), and one stepping boldly into the science and tools of today.
We are not trapped by old ways. We are not waiting for permission. We are building the future with our own hands — One garden, one community, one thriving moana at a time.
The work that we do is beyond conservation. This is resurrection. This is food for our families, freedom for our people, and a living legacy for those not yet born.
