With specific reference to the Haehanga awa and in comparison to pre-European times, all 12 Mauri Compass indicators have been profoundly impacted to the following extent:

The traditional rohe of Ngāti Mutunga is indelibly etched into both physical and historical landscapes. The Papatiki stream signals the interface with Ngāti Tama in the North. From here, the stream flows past Titoki pa and then outlines the extremities of tūpuna mana as far north as the Mangahia Stream from which an easterly direction is struck to Huanui, then northeast to Waitara-iti. The rohe then finds a natural eastern definition in the Waitara River as the river flows southward to the Pouiatoa precinct. From here, the border extends further south and then northwest along the Taramoukou stream to a point where the Waitara river connects with the Makara Stream. The confines of manawhenua are then traced in a northerly direction, skirting slightly west of the Poukekewa, Poutotara, and Pukemai streams. The Mangahewa Stream then provides an outline for the duration of the course to the coast. The old settlement in the district of Te Rau o te Huia was bounded by the Waiau River, and its remains mark the area of the Ngāti Mutunga traditional southern boundary. Within these boundaries lie the Mimitangiatua, Urenui and Onaero catchments, with their mainstem and supporting river valleys providing important linkages and resources in all directions across the rohe.

Figure 1: Mātauranga Māori, intergenerational transfer of knowledge.

River and stream objectives include restoring the physical and spiritual health of the rivers and re-establishing the relationship between the people and the rivers. River restoration is a priority as is access to these waterways. The significance of wetlands / swamps, riparian zones, and riverbeds is noted.

Our tūpuna had considerable knowledge of the ways in which to use the resources associated with water, and tikanga for the proper and sustainable use of these resources. We did not pollute our waters. It is our responsibility, as kaitiaki, to ensure that the values and tikanga, as well as the water itself, is restored, endures, and is passed on to future generations.

Ngāti Mutunga utilised the entire length of each awa for food gathering. The river mouths provided a plentiful supply of pipi, pūpū (cat's eye), pātiki (flounder), kahawai, and other fish. Īnanga (whitebait) were caught along the banks of the river. Tuna (eel) and piharau (lamprey eel) were found in the upper reaches of the river. Piharau were caught using whakaparu, which was a technique developed by placing rarauhe (bracken fern) in the rapids of the river in times of flood. Fresh water kōura were caught in streams across the region.

Physical and spiritual contamination of water has many causes, including bad land use (particularly dairy farming), poor land management, stock in waterways, erosion, human wastewater, road runoff, agricultural runoff, historical pollution (e.g., old dump sites), and other contaminants flowing into waterways. Physical degradation of riparian areas, draining of wetlands, removal of vegetation, and changing the course of waterways has also significantly impacted on awa. In practice, this has eroded the ability of Ngāti Mutunga to undertake their customary practices and protocols, such as mahinga kai.

The Haehanga valley was particularly close to Pukekahu Pā and would have been a key mahinga kai area for those whānau. The Haehanga was also on the way downstream when travelling to the Mimitangiatua estuary, a key mahinga kai area for us. Waka would have travelled up and down the Mimitangiatua, within the estuary and coastal plain, and beyond, along its gently meandering lowland path to the many pā and tauranga waka situated up to the Uruti valley.

Figure 4: Pukekahu Pā location and tracks.

While there are no records of pā and kāinga along the banks of the Haehanga, its strategic location and abundance of resources would have made this catchment valuable to mana whenua.

In 1943 the catchment was still largely natural, with meandering waterways including associated wetlands and floodplains. However, some areas of ngahere had already been changed into pasture for livestock. While the extent of pasture had increased by 1982, the majority of waterways remained within their natural alignments, with associated natural wetlands and floodplains. Large scale changes have taken place since Remediation NZ and its predecessor started operating in this river valley. The extent of pasture has increased, valley-bottom wetlands have almost entirely been lost, waterways are mostly disconnected from floodplains, and watercourses have in many places been straightened and realigned with a consequent loss of stream length (extent) and habitats (both quality and quantity of habitat). The hydrology of the valley has been altered significantly. The taiao has been severely impacted.

The Mauri Compass dashboard is designed around the 12 indicators [attributes] that inform the mauri of a particular waterbody. It is also designed to visualise the complex interrelationships in a straightforward manner.

Figure 10: Taranaki Regional Council Mauri Compass training.

The Mauri Compass method involved Ngāti Mutunga whānau aged from 2 to 70 plus and it will be easy to involve the whole Ngāti Mutunga whānau during any future surveying we do. This will increase everyone's skills in the collection of scientific data while recognising and affirming the cultural knowledge and expertise and experience of Ngāti Mutunga whānau participating in this work. It also helps to reconnect us and/or strengthen our relationships as tangata whenua to our whenua, our awa and ngā mātua tupuna. We believe this to be important in enhancing and maintaining the mauri of the environment and the health and wellbeing of our people.

Through wānanga, we began by answering a set of questions and calculating scores based on our knowledge of our tupuna awa. We calculated scores for the historic or pre-European state and for the current state for the Mimitangiatua and Haehanga. Each set of questions feed into the twelve indicators that form the Mauri Compass (Table 1).