Coastal clean-up

Coastal clean-up

Divers and commercial salvage teams collect rubbish from inner harbour of Tauranga Moana to be analysed for ‘marine invaders’.
On Sunday 10 March, local businesses and the University of Waikato based in Tauranga teamed up to undertake a coastal clean-up ‘Kia Tika Tatahi’ of debris along two heavily visited areas in the inner harbour of Tauranga Moana.

Dive teams working with commercial salvage teams, were shocked to find a staggering amount of rubbish and debris which is still being analysed with the community, for marine invaders.

This marine clean-up is part of a wider project where mana whenua, business, community, research and scientists are looking at new technologies and innovations to protect our moana (seas) and takutai (coastlines) from introduced and foreign marine species and pathogens. The drive is to look at what habitat might be at risk or what are the threats to our native marine environments and the natural biodiversity of our harbour.