Tasman Environmental Trust’s Core and Restore Blue Carbon project is a community-based initiative with ambitious plans to measure, protect and restore coastal blue carbon habitats across Te Tauihu, top of the South Island. 

The project’s two-year pilot (2021-2023) involved taking sediment samples from Waimea Inlet and Onetahua Farewell Spit as a first step towards understanding the stored levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide in these coastal ecosystems. 

Results offer a first glimpse of the sites’ carbon-sink potential and highlight the important role of coastal wetlands in storing carbon and supporting thriving estuaries.

The project is led by Lauren Walker on behalf of Tasman Environmental Trust, in
collaboration with key partners Cawthron Institute, Beca, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā
Tō and Nelson City Council, and supporters Manawhenua ki Mohua, HealthPost Nature Trust, the Department of Conservation, Live Ocean, Pic’s Peanut Butter, Nelson Tasman Climate Forum, Kidson Investments and Andy MacDonald.

Interview with Lauren Walker, speaking on behalf of Tasman Environmental Trust
Hosted by Jodie Kuntzsch, Moananui

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Thank you to the Nelson Regional Development Agency for their support for Mission Insights.

Moananui is a blue economy cluster whose shared goal is to transform Aotearoa New Zealand into a world-leading ecosystem for developing and commercialising blue economy products, services, technology, research and capability, with a healthy ocean at the heart of this. 

Moananui’s role is to enable businesses, government bodies and other experts to work together with the aim of fast-tracking growth of the ‘blue economy’ – marine activities that generate economic value and contribute positively to social, cultural and ecological wellbeing. The blue economy in Te Tauihu, the top of the South Island, is the largest and fastest growing in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Interview with Jodie Kuntzsch, Moananui, hosted by Ali Boswijk, Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce

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Thank you to the Nelson Regional Development Agency for their support for Mission Insights.

Nelson-based Cawthron Institute is Aotearoa’s New Zealand largest independent science organisation. It aims to deliver world-class science that helps to protect the environment and support the sustainable development of primary industries nationally and worldwide. 

Established over 100 years ago by philanthropist Thomas Cawthron, Cawthron Institute is focused on marine and freshwater ecosystem research that benefits Aotearoa New Zealand’s environment, society and economy. This includes looking at the growth and safety of the seafood sector, the development of bioactive resources and the health improvements of freshwater ecosystems and oceans. 

The organisation recently partnered with Westpac NZ Government Innovation Fund, Port Nelson, OneFortyOne, Friends of Nelson Haven and Tasman Bay, and University of Waikato, with funding from Catalyst Fund, to launch a national seagrass restoration project that aims to fight climate change and improve ecosystem health.

The three-year project will develop a blueprint for seed-based seagrass restoration that can be carried out across Aotearoa New Zealand. The aim is to enable large-scale restoration of seagrass meadows, helping to support biodiversity, improve water quality and sequester carbon.

Interview with Chris Cornelisen, Cawthron Institute, hosted by Jodie Kuntzsch, Moananui

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Thank you to the Nelson Regional Development Agency for their support for Mission Insights.