Ngā Kāhui Kaitiaki Kaimoana

For Our Whānau, For Our Kai: Keeping Shellfish Gathering Safe

Te Arawa ki Tai Trust is participating in this Cawthron Institute project as one of three project partners. We bring mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori perspectives to the table, contributing to the development of rapid testing kits to ensure the safety of shellfish.

We hold regular Zoom hui and marae wānanga to exchange updates and progress. The goal is to make the testing of our kaimoana for PSP (paralytic shellfish poisoning) as accurate and as simple as possible. This kaupapa is close to home as we have whānau who have been affected after eating pipi gathered from the Little Waihi estuary.

As kaitiaki of the coast, we take our responsibilities seriously. We want our whānau to be safe, and we are committed to protecting and maintaining this traditional kohi kai practice, hence our ongoing involvement with Cawthron.

Photos taken at our first wānanga, held at Whakaue Marae, are posted under “Past Achievements.”

A highlight of the wānanga was the kōrero shared by our niece, Kim Taia, who was the star of the show. She bravely spoke of her experience being hospitalised with paralytic shellfish poisoning. Cawthron released a media statement and video featuring her story, it reached an audience of over 10 million online, even before it was broadcast in China in 2024.