Posted on May 1, 2024
A Hauraki Gulf iwi hopes a new approach to the invasive caulerpa seaweed will produce results by the end of May.
Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust and Biosecurity New Zealand, working with marine specialists from NIWA and Bay Underwater Services, are using a suction dredge on 18 hectares of seabed around Iris Shoal off Kawau Island.
Chief executive Nicola Macdonald says it’s good to have crown support after three years of working with its own to keep the pest in check.
She wants ongoing support to help the iwi deliver as kaitiaki.
“The long term is that this is all part of our toolkit, the kete that we use as kaitiaki. And we should be actually having access to those dredging materials, ensure that we’re competent, we’re fit for purpose, and if (caulerpa) comes into our area, we’re blasting it out ourselves,” Ms Macdonald says.
She says Biosecurity and Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard has budgeted $5 million for caulerpa removal, which is a good start.
