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E hoa mā. Whakaurua tēnei rā ki tō wātaka ko te kotahi tekau ma rima o Mei. He rā whakapai Tikitapu.
Kua whakakōtahi mai a Aotearoa Dive rātou ko Bay of Plenty Regional Council, ko Te Arawa Lakes Trust ko Ghost Diving me Aotearoa Lakes ki te whakapai i te ātea nui o Tikitapu.
"He rōpū whakapono nei ki te hauoratanga o ngā rotomoana. E whia kē ngā kaupapa pēnei kua oti noa i a mātou o ngā tau ko pahemo koia ko tō mātou tuku aroha ki ngā moana" hai tā Renee Tapsell mātanga rukuwai mā Aotearoa Dive's.
"Ko tēnei kaupapa he wā whakahirahira e puta ai ngā tangata o te hāpori ko te hunga mōhio ki te ruku moana ko te hunga kāore i mōhio ki te ruku, me ngā tamariki katoa he kaupapa whakakōtahi i a tātou katoa me te whāinga nui kia kaha kē tātou katoa ki te manaaki me te tiaki i tō tātou taiao, ki runga ki te whenua, i raro hoki i te wai".
E rua ngā wāhanga o tēnei kaupapa ko tētehi ki uta, ko tētehi ki tai.He kohi para me ērā atu o ngā kame kāore e tika ana ki te taiao nei. Ko te wāhanga ki te ruku wai ka whakarāhuingia ki ngā wāhi o te moana kua whakaritea. Ehara i te mea ka ruku pokanoa.
"E whia kē ngā kaupapa pēnei kua oti i a mātou te mahi i ngā tau nui kua pahemo me te teitei hoki o te para kua tōia i te moana me te rahi o te para kua kōhia i ngā tahataha o uta , ka tangi te ngākau, nō reira ka ara ake tēnei kaupapa, kia whakapau kaha mātou kia rangatira katoa te kaupapa".
Nā Renee me tana hoa rangatira a Adrian Bebbington a Aotearoa Dive i whakaara, ko tētehi o a ratou whakaakoranga ki ngā mātanga ruku wai, me ka kitea e rātou tētehi kame tauhou, tikina whakahokia ki uta – mā te itiiti e māmā ake ai te tiaki whenua".
He uri ia nō Ngāti Whakaue. He SSI Pouako rangatira poutohutohu, he mātanga ruku kupa PADI koia hoki te pou tohutohu o Aotearoa Dive, he waha hoki ia mō te oranga me te hauoratanga o ngā moana, ngā roto moana me ngā awa hoki.
"Tae katoa mai taku whānau ki ēnei kaupapa nāku tonu i whakaara i ngā tōpito huhua o Aotearoa, nā reira i ngākau whakaiti ai ahau whaihoki e aro kaha tonu ahau ki te mana o ēnei kaupapa".
Kua kotahi tekau mā rima o ngā tau a Renee e ruku ana, ā, o ēnei tau katoa he kotahi tekau e tū nei hai mātanga.
"Kai te whakapono ahau kia puritia rawatia te mana o ngā moana ā runga ō raro hoki, me whai waha ai ngā moana ki te whakaputa i ngā taumahatanga. Ko te hunga ruku wai ngā tuatahi e kite ai ngā tūkinotanga me ngā āhuatanga weriweri katoa o te moana.
Kai tētehi huinga ruku moana kahurangi mātou, e mea ana ka whāia e mātou ngā pareparenga o ngā moana kahurangi, he kauawhiawhi hoki i te taiao me ngā ao katoa, moana mai, roto moana mai, awa mai tae atu ki ngā momo otaota katoa.
"I whakawhiwhia ai e Aotearoa Dive ki te tohu Blue Ocean 2022 mō ō rātou whakapono ki ō rātou poupou rapunga whakaaro i ngā kokonga huhua o te ao pākihi me te tūtakinga rangatira ki ngā pou arahi e whai ake nei:
■ Kai te whāia e rātou ngā tikanga SSI ruku moana, me ngā tikanga tiaki taiao ā turuhi me ngā rapunga whakaaro o Blue Oceans.
■ Kai te whakatuarā te kaupapa SSI Blue Oceans i roto i ngā nekehanga pākihi ki runga hoki ki te pae tukutuku.
■ Kai te whāia ngā tikanga pakeke mō te tuku para, mō te whakarua me ngā tikanga haumaru whakahaerenga para katoa.
■ Kai te whakahaere kaupapa whakatika taiao ia tau e whakakōtahi ai te hāpori, e mahi tahi nei me ngā poutiaki o te whenua.
■ E whakahaere akoranga taiao pēnei me te taiao moana, te taiao mako, te whakatuhura ika, te taiao honuwai me te whai hoki.
He ngāwari noa te rautaki: Ko te tiaki i ngā pou ruku moana me te mataara ki te wairua o te taiao. Ko te pae matahauariki e kakapa kau ana, he awhina i te hāpori kia kori ai me te whakaara huarahi e whai waha ai te moana. "He rautaki i whakaarangia ai ēnei kaupapa e hāngai pū ki te rangatahi, ko rātou ngā amokura o āpōpō, ko te tumanako nui ka whiwhita tētehi wāhanga o rātou kia arohaina te moana".
Kia marutau ngā poumahi tētehi hoki o ngā aronga nui mā Aotearoa Dive. Ka whia kē ngā ture mō te whakapai wāhi. Ko ngā pouruku kupa e hiahia nei ki te ruku me kāua e iti iho i te kotahi tekau o ngā rukunga moana me māia hoki rātou ki te ruku i ngā wai-ehuehu, kia mauria mai e koe tāu tiwhikete ruku moana (ki te kore he tiwhikete kāore e whakaengia ki te ruku moana). Ka āta tirohia katoatia ngā kame ruku moana hoki.
Ko te hoko putuputu i Aotearoa Dive ka whakaaengia engari kia wawe te whakapā moata mai. Ko ngā kupenga kohi para Blue Ocean/ ngā pēke kohikohi ka hokona i taua rā tonu, e rima tāra te utu, ko te moni nei ka whakatōpūngia ki te kete hoko kai , ko te BBQ te kai o te rā. Mēnā kai te hiahia kohi para i uta mauria mai he hū tika, hū kati, hū kapi katoa i ōu wae, mauria mai he karapū , engari kia mahara koe, he kohi para te mahi nā reira ka paru hoki koe.
He ahakoa he rā whānau tēnei, tiakina ngā tamariki i ngā wā katoa i ngā wāhi katoa. Mauria mai he kiaka wai, he hinu pani rā hoki. Tirohia te āhuatanga o te rā, ka mahi tonu tātou he ahakoa te rā, he ahakoa te marangai. Kāua e māharahara me he kūare ki te ruku moana he mahi ki uta māu. Nau mai haere mai.
■ RSVP ki te pae tukutuku www.aotearoadive.co.nz
— Na Raimona Inia tenei purongo i whakamaoritia
Put this date in your calendar: May 15, Tikitapu clean-up.
Aotearoa Dive is partnering with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Ghost Diving and Aotearoa Lakes for a community clean-up at Tikitapu (the Blue Lake).
"We are huge advocates in keeping our oceans and lakes clean, we have conducted many dive clean-ups over the years. It's our way of giving back to the moana," Aotearoa Dive's Renee Tapsell said.
"The Tikitapu lake clean-up is a great community event for all divers, non-divers and tamariki to get involved in. The aim is to raise awareness of our amazing local environment and ensure it is kept beautiful both above and below the surface." This will be both a shore based and in water clean-up targeting rubbish and things that don't belong.
In-water diving will only take place in designated areas and will be clearly explained during dive briefing.
"After hosting many community dive clean up events over the years and removing many kilos of plastics and rubbish from our waterways, it is sad to see what the devastation can cause, so we try to make every dive count."
Renee and her partner Adrian Bebbington set up Aotearoa Dive and educate their divers that if they find anything that doesn't belong out there pick it up, dispose of it properly and let others know how easy it is to do.
"If everyone does their little bit, we can truly make a big difference." The uri of Ngati Whakaue is a SSI Master instructor, PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, Director of Aotearoa Dive and an advocate for our oceans, lakes and water ways.
"My whanau come and support all our clean up dive events I have hosted in Aotearoa, they keep me humble, grounded and focussed on the importance of these events."
Renee has been diving for 15 years and a professional for 10 of them.
"I am very passionate about keeping our oceans and lakes beautiful above and below the surface.
"The ocean and lakes need a voice to speak for them and divers get to see first-hand what goes on out there. "We are a blue ocean dive center, this means we follow the Blue Oceans movement and support the conservation and sustainable use of aquatic environments, including oceans, lake and other waterways and the diversity of plants and species.
"Aotearoa Dive was awarded the Blue Ocean 2022 for having sound ecological philosophies in every aspect of their business and for also meeting the following criteria
■ Following the SSI responsible diver code, sustainable tourism guidelines, and the Blue Oceans philosophy.
■ Promote SSI Blue Oceans in their business and on their website
■ Follow correct waste disposal, recycling and waste management procedures
■ Conducting a variety of community clean up events each year, working closely with the kaitiaki of these spaces
■ Offering education-based ecology programs including Marine ecology, Shark ecology, Fish Identification, Sea turtle ecology, Manta, and Ray ecology
The succession plan is simple: Keeping our divers safe and being environmentally aware.
As for the future, the outlook is bright and hopeful, working with our community and keeping them active and creating advocates and voices for the moana.
"We create these events particularly focused on our young people. They are tomorrow's leaders, and we hope this ignites the same passion we have for our moana."
Safety is paramount so Aotearoa Dive has several rules for the clean-up.
Scuba Divers who wish to participate must have a minimum of 10 logged dives and be comfortable working in low visibility, you will need to bring your dive certification (NO CERT, NO DIVE). All dive equipment will be inspected to ensure it is safe to use.
Hire equipment is available from Aotearoa Dive but is limited please get in touch.
Blue ocean trash net/collection bags will be sold on the day for $5 all proceeds will goes to our kai, BBQ supplied on the day.
If you would like to be part of the shore crew, you will need to wear fully covered shoes and bring a pair of gardening gloves ... also be prepared to get down and dirty!
This is a family friendly event, but all children must be supervised at all times by an adult. Don't forget to bring your own water bottle and sunscreen. Dress for the weather (warm clothes and jackets) – we go ahead rain or shine. There will also be plenty of work for non-divers to get involved.
■ RSVP on the website www.aotearoadive.co.nz
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