Following the flow of Heretaunga's groundwater

The Te Whakaheke o Te Wai research programme combined innovative techniques in environmental tracers and modelling, with mātauranga Māori, to reveal new insights about the age, source, flow and cultural values of the water in Aotearoa New Zealand’s underground aquifers. As part of wider work in the Heretaunga Plains, the team built a local-scale model to help address community concerns about the Paritua/Karewarewa Stream at Bridge Pā, a culturally significant stream running alongside two marae. Mana whenua have observed declining water levels in the stream in recent years. It ran dry in 2021 and again in early November 2025. The interviews in this video were filmed in 2024, at a time when the Paritua/Karewarewa Stream was flowing. Thanks to Robert Turner, Jane Morrell, Simon Harper, and Marei Apatu for their involvement in the video. https://www.gns.cri.nz/research-projects/te-whakaheke-o-te-wai/