Sea Gardening , (Reef Building)

Volunteering extension.

After attending the 3 day intensive, you are invited to stay on as our guests at the Wharf Hub, and join in with further community reef building work that may be needing attention. 

If sea conditions are good, this may involve reef deployment , seabed survey work, monitoring (aka fishing), river habitat restoration and so on. 

 

Our Vision ( Whakakitenga)

 

Our vision is to find ways that make a difference. 

Opotiki ranks bottom in most socio economic indicators of towns in New Zealand. But with the bush at its back, the sea at its front and rivers running through, it's a town with a lot of potential to grow its community. 

The Wharf Hub has a plan to help make a difference to the townspeople through reef deployment, thereby growing fish in the sea. With sea food comes fishermen, health and wealth.

But there much more to it that just placing structures on the mud silt seabed.

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Our knowledge (Matauranga)

While we learn about some very New Zealand Maori concepts such as kaitiakitanga, wairua,  mauri, and the place of spirituality in rectifying environmental problems, volunteering lets us put these things into further practice.  

Unlike the 3 day Reef Building intensive, volunteering days are far more informal, directed more by the weather and sea conditions, and teaching points arise spontaneously from within the work being undertaken.

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Our Action (Mahi)

​​​​The time of year, weather, our needs, your interests are all things that influence our consultated daily plan of activities.

There's reef module building, helping fishers complete the online fishing Log, making and loading pallets of modules for deployment, seabed surveys, creating new reef module designs, whitebait breeding grounds restoration, restoration work on murals, tending the community orchard and the Wharf Hub organic salad gardens, and plenty more. 

It's a casual but purposeful time. Generally work takes around 4 hours a day, afternoons your choice of activity (help with evening meal preparation always appreciated as the days are self catering). 

We have related book and videos to further knowledge development in the evening. 

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Health and Safety (​Hauora)

​​One of the strong Maori values you will hear about early on is Wairuatanga. While certainly there will be all Health and Safety  equipment and instruction given to you as needed, we aim to go that extra mile and ensure your emotional and spiritual well-being are also attended to.

Please be aware that marine activities carry an extra element of risk. We endeavor to minimise risk in every activity through careful planning and instruction, we have a new safer harbour entrance,  but risk still exists.