Mataura River Mātaitai

As illustrated in Map above, the Mātaitai Reserve encompasses the waters of the Mataura River within:

(a)        the northern boundary being a line in an easterly direction across the Mataura River (from a point at 46010.45’S and 186053.67’E on the eastern bank to a point at 46010.45’S and 168053.87’E on the western bank) about 500 metres upstream of the Mataura tannery; and

(b)        the southern boundary being a line in a westerly direction across the Mataura River (from a point at 46013.96’S and 168050.97’E on the western bank to a point 46013.96’S and 168051.03’E on the eastern bank) at a bend in the Mataura River about 1 kilometre downstream of Shanks Road.

The vision for the mātaitai is for a sustainable, healthy and abundant fishery that provides for the customary fishing needs of the community.

Before the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Tāngata Whenua utilised and managed their fisheries resources within the rohe for which they held manawhenua manamoana and maintained ahi kaa. The tikanga (customary fisheries management practices) enabled Tāngata Whenua to sustainably harvest and conserve their mahinga kai. Traditional tikanga included the use of area management tools, for example temporary closures.

For Ngāi Tahu, the natural resources, species and taonga found within the Mataura River are tangible treasures that transcend the generations. The establishment of the mātaitai signals an important return of respect and managment authority to Tāngata Whenua.

Already, the mātaitai has been a catalyst to coordinate and draw new interest from industry, resource managers, fishers and universities to monitor and improve the river's health.  

Resources

• Read the Mataura Mātaitia Management Plan
• Minister of Fisheries, Jim Anderton's speech at the opening of the Mataura River Mātaitai Reserve at the old paper mill in Mataura, Southland.

Related Research 

Landcare Research scientist (Dr James Ataria) and Ngāi Tahu representatives (Rewi Anglem and Rodney Trainor) from Murihiku (Southland) are leading a project incorporating Western science and Māori monitoring methods to investigate the health of a river and its fish. Read more...

The Mataura River is a lifeline to several hapū, and contains prized fish such as kanakana (lampreys), tuna (eels), and toitoi (bullies) and supports a world renowned brown trout fishery. 

It is acknowledged that its upper reaches of the Mataura and Waikaia are relatively pristine. However, tangata whenua are worried about multiple stressors on the river.

Therefore, this research will focus on stretches of the river where there are point source discharges from industries and rural townships adjacent to the Mataura and an area that receive agricultural runoff.

In collaboration with Te Ao Marama Inc. researchers from Landcare Research, Ngāi Tahu and HortResearch are studying various sites from the river’s source to the sea. Three sites are within a 10 kilometre stretch that receives industrial discharge. The Ministry of Fisheries designated this stretch as New Zealand’s first freshwater mātaitai (fishing reserve) under the care of the local Hokonui Rūnanga.

Ngāi Tahu researcher Craig Pauling is using Ngāi Tahu-specific techniques (State of the Takiwa monitoring protocols) to provide information on the present state of the river. This involves interviews, visual observations and cultural indices, such as the degree of cultural significance of a site.

Meanwhile, Landcare Research scientists will be measuring for the presence of chemical residues in kanakana and tuna caught directly from the Mataura River. Other tuna will be captured from tributaries feeding into the Mataura, and placed in clean water to ‘flush out’ any contaminants. They will then be placed in cages in the Mataura for 3 to 4 weeks, and analysed for chemical residues.

This research is funded by Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga