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The Ohiwa Harbour Forum is celebrating improvements in the health of the awa since it was set up right years ago.
The forum brings together councils, government agencies, community groups, and local iwi Whakatohea, Upokorehe, Ngati Awa and Ngai Tuhoe.
Chair Tipene Marr says the shallow harbour in the eastern Bay of Plenty is vulnerable to changes in the landscape around it, so it's important to get a wide range of stakeholders involved.
Signage and facilities have been improved, coastal areas planted to reduce erosion, and research is being done on Ohiwa's abundant fish and bird life.
Working with Upokorehe, it has revived traditional methods to control exploding populations of swans and seagulls.
"Back in the day before the European arrived we would go out and take one egg out of 3 or 2 eggs out of 4 just reducing the amount of eggs that would hatch so it's a very positive and it's bring back some of that tikanga and kawa of keeping the species going but managing the species," says Tipene Marr.
Copyright © 2016, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com
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