Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau / Sinclair Wetlands

Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau / Sinclair Wetlands form a 315-hectare portion of the Lakes Waihola-Waipori wetland complex, south of Dunedin, New Zealand.
The name Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau acknowledges ‘the dwelling place of Tukiauau’, an early Ngāti Mamoe chief. The area is now owned by Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, and is valued as a wāhi taonga (culturally significant site), for mahinga kai (traditional food and resources), conservation, recreation, and education.

Tauparapara

I ora ki te Takutai o te Raki
I hika i te Tara o te Marama
Waiho rātou hai pōri
Heke iho a Tukiauau
Ka tū a Whakaraupuka
Tērā a Tūwiriroa ki Motupara
Arā te taumata o Hā-ki-te-kura
Mahue mai a Korokiwhiti
E kā kuru tokarerewa
Hapetuakiwhiti
Tūokioki
Mau atu ki Maru kaitātea
Tarere ki whenua uta
Tau ana e!


Tauparapara written by Megan Ellison for the Wānaka held by the Rūnaka o Ōtākau at Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau / Sinclair Wetlands in July 2009. It is about the Ōtākou rohe/area that extends through to Lake Wakatipu and includes the whakapapa of the ancestress Hā-ki-te-kura.

The Wetlands

The wetlands are part of a nationally important and regionally significant wetland complex in the Taieri Plains. There is a mixture of river channels, pools, swamps, and forested islands. Waterbirds are abundant, and are a focus for visitors, who are welcome to walk or kayak, to stay overnight, to help as volunteers, and to connect to the wetland environment, via education and hands-on participation.

Management includes enhancing wetland habitats, control of weeds and pests, and replanting native forest on the ‘islands’ within the wetlands. These activities are looked after by an on-site coordinator, on behalf of Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau/Sinclair Wetlands Trust.

Links

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Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu
Te Rūnanga o Ōtākou
Tukiauau History
QEII National Trust
Department of Conservation
NZ Wetlands
New Zealand Birds Online