Murihiku Regeneration’s Southern Ocean - Murihiku ki te Tonga project is about understanding, protecting, and sustainably managing the Southern Ocean - from Murihiku to Antarctica.
Globally there is a rising awareness that indigenous knowledge and indigenous leadership are essential for understanding, protecting, and sustainably managing the ocean.
Purpose
Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku leads research and monitoring of the ocean from Murihiku to Antarctica for effective protection and management of Te Taiao Moana and for the benefit of our region, our country, and the World.
Context
Te Moana Tāpokopoko a Tāwhaki and Te Tiri o Te Moana (the ocean south of Murihiku and Antarctica) are home and hunting grounds for many iconic species and represents one of the least impacted marine environments on Earth. At the same time, there is rising pressure to exploit marine resources through fishing, aquaculture, mining, and as a source of energy.
In the Pacific, whales, seabirds, and other marine keystone species migrate seasonally from the tropics to temperate and polar latitudes, some as far as Antarctica. This living web spans the entire Pacific Hemisphere and effectively functions as a dynamic sensor network for climate and marine productivity.
Beyond its significance as an ecosystem, the Southern Ocean is essential for understanding, anticipating, and coping with climate change.
Closer to home, the development of marine energy such as offshore wind and wave energy in Murihiku requires a deep understanding of the ocean to achieve a balance that respects the environment and permits sustainable use.
Subantarctic Islands
The New Zealand Subantarctic Islands consist of five island groups south-east of Te Waipounamu:
- Tini Heke - Snares Islands: about 100km southwest of Stewart Island/Rakiura
- Hauriri - Bounty Islands: about 700km east-south-east of Te Wai Pounamu
- Moutere Māhue - Antipodes Islands: about 860km southeast of Stewart Island/Rakiura
- Moutere Ihupuku - Campbell Island: about 700km south of Te Wai Pounamu and 270km southeast of Auckland Island.
- Maungahuka - Auckland Islands: about 465 south of Bluff
Archaeological evidence indicates that Polynesian explorers and their dogs were present in the Auckland Islands as early as the 13th-14th Century AD.
World Heritage Status
The Subantarctic Islands are located on the boundaries between two ocean fronts, and support outstanding biodiversity. The island groups and marine environment out to 12 nautical miles have UNESCO World Heritage status.
Together with Macquarie Island, the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands are a plant biodiversity hotspot and, with around 35 endemic taxa (found nowhere else in the world), have the richest flora of all the subantarctic islands that surround the Antarctic continent.
A large number and diversity of seabirds and penguins nest in the islands, with 126 bird species in total, including 40 seabirds of which five breed nowhere else in the world.
The islands are home to endangered rāpoka (New Zealand sea lions) as well as several million tītī (muttonbirds). At least twelve of the 18 penguin species worldwide occur in the Ross Sea Sector.
In winter and spring, tohorā (southern right whales) congregate in the waters around Maungahuka and Moutere Ihupuku to breed.