A groundbreaking Waikato environmental project helping native tuna return safely to the sea has claimed its second major national award, demonstrating how mātauranga Māori, science and modern engineering can work together to protect both communities and freshwater ecosystems.
Waikato Regional Council’s Ngā Rerenga ki te Moana | Pathways to the Sea has won the environmental stewardship honour at Local Government New Zealand’s 2026 SuperLocal Awards.
The strategy aims to protect tuna, or native freshwater eels, and other indigenous fish species as they migrate downstream through flood protection infrastructure.
It follows six years of research and collaboration involving iwi, mana whenua, engineers, scientists and infrastructure specialists from Aotearoa and overseas.
Protecting Tuna While Keeping Communities Safe
For decades, flood protection pump stations throughout Waikato have helped protect communities and farmland from flooding.
However, many were constructed without consideration for the native fish travelling through the region’s waterways.
As a result, migrating tuna have faced significant risks of injury or death when passing through pumping infrastructure.
Waikato Regional Council operates more pump stations than any other regional council in Aotearoa, making the challenge particularly significant.
The Ngā Rerenga ki te Moana strategy was developed to address that problem while maintaining essential flood protection services.
Council chair Warren Maher says the project demonstrates that protecting communities and restoring freshwater ecosystems do not have to be competing priorities.
Up to 100 Percent Safe Passage for Native Fish
The results have been significant.
Field-tested fish-friendly pumping technologies have achieved safe passage rates ranging from 74 percent to 100 percent, depending on the equipment and location.
At some sites, the programme has helped more than a tonne of tuna move safely through the flood protection network during a single migration season.
The research explored a range of solutions, including fish-friendly pumps, gravity bypass systems, electrical deterrents and trap-and-transfer operations.
Among the innovations tested was a New Zealand-designed retrofit pump prototype, offering potential opportunities to upgrade existing infrastructure rather than replace entire pumping systems.
More than 20 technical reports were produced during the six-year programme, generating interest from researchers and infrastructure operators nationally and internationally.
The findings are now being incorporated into the council’s ongoing flood protection planning and infrastructure upgrades.
Waikato-Tainui Partnership Central to Success
The council has acknowledged the important contribution of Waikato-Tainui and the Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development.
Their involvement helped shape a programme that recognises the ecological and cultural importance of tuna and healthy waterways.
Tuna are a taonga species for Māori, with longstanding connections to mahinga kai, whakapapa, customary practices and the wellbeing of rivers and wetlands.
Their migration from freshwater environments to the ocean is a critical part of their lifecycle.
Barriers that prevent safe passage can affect not only individual fish but also the long-term health of tuna populations.
The project demonstrates the value of involving iwi and mana whenua in environmental management and infrastructure decision-making.
Fourteen funding partners, including central and regional government organisations, also supported the research and development programme.
Second National Award for Environmental Innovation
The SuperLocal recognition follows another major achievement earlier this year.
In June, Ngā Rerenga ki te Moana won the Supreme Award at the 2026 LGFA Taituarā Local Government Excellence Awards, after also taking out the Excellence in Environmental Leadership category.
The latest award recognises the council’s efforts to embed environmental stewardship into the management of essential infrastructure.
The programme’s success also provides a potential model for other councils facing similar challenges with ageing flood protection systems and native fish migration.
A Blueprint for Protecting Aotearoa’s Waterways
Across Aotearoa, floodgates, drainage systems, culverts and pump stations can create barriers for indigenous freshwater species.
As councils face growing infrastructure demands and changing environmental conditions, projects such as Ngā Rerenga ki te Moana demonstrate how ecological improvements can be incorporated into essential public works.
For Māori communities, protecting tuna is also about safeguarding mahinga kai, cultural traditions and the health of waterways for future generations.
The Waikato programme shows how collaboration between mana whenua, researchers, engineers and local government can deliver measurable environmental improvements while continuing to protect homes, farms and communities.
With safe fish passage rates reaching 100 percent at some sites, Ngā Rerenga ki te Moana is helping ensure that the infrastructure protecting Waikato communities also protects the tuna and native species that have travelled its waterways for generations.
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