NĪSHRP: one door closes, and another opens

The Northland Īnanga Spawning Habitat Restoration Project (NĪSHRP), a Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust initiative, has been a hugely successful, three-year effort to protect and restore īnanga (whitebait) spawning habitats in Northland. The project's work was largely funded by Ministry for the Environment, with valuable financial and practical support from Fonterra and a range of other funders.

Through this project, we have worked collaboratively with mana whenua, community groups and landowners, combining scientific expertise with local knowledge. The outcomes on the ground have been impressive. The project has identified 30 new spawning sites, fenced off 4km of riparian land, and planted 20,000 native plants to stabilize banks and create safe habitats for īnanga eggs. The project has also focused on community education, empowering local people with the skills to monitor and manage these sites long-term.

With NĪSHRP’s initial work now complete, our attention now turns to the National Īnanga Spawning Project (NĪSP). NĪSP is about scaling up our efforts and applying the valuable lessons learned in Northland on a much wider scale across Aotearoa. The goal is to build a nationwide network of communities and organisations that can identify, protect, and restore īnanga spawning habitats, safeguarding this vital taonga species for future generations.

View the video above to see the impact this project has had. If you’re after in-depth information about our īnanga spawning mahi, check out this presentation from Nic Naysmith (Project Lead) and Hollie Kereopa (Patuharakeke te iwi) as they outline their work as part of the NĪSHRP and NĪSP projects.