Viki Heta and Arana Rewha, winners of the Te Uru Kahika Māori Award and Supreme Award at the recent New Zealand Biosecurity Awards.
Viki Heta and Arana Rewha, winners of the Te Uru Kahika Māori Award and Supreme Award at the recent New Zealand Biosecurity Awards.
A Far North couple’s work with exotic caulerpa seaweed and their more than a decade’s pest control efforts in the Bay of Islands has helped earn them the New Zealand Biosecurity Supreme Award.
Viki Heta and Arana Rewha (Patukeha, Ngāti Kuta) - nominated by the Northland Regional Council - were named the winners of the Te Uru Kahika Māori Award and Supreme Award at the recent New Zealand Biosecurity Awards, which recognise and celebrate outstanding contributions to protecting our country.
In addition to the duo, Aki Tai Here, also finalists in the Te Uru Kahika Māori Award, represented Northland’s outstanding contributions at the event.
NRC deputy chair Tui Shortland said Rana’s curious and observant nature is the reason for the Te Rāwhiti exotic caulerpa response in Northland.
“After noticing an unusual looking seaweed in May last year, Rana (prompted by Viki) contacted the Ministry for Primary Industries who confirmed the sighting was caulerpa. Since Rana’s initial sighting, Rana and Viki have been heavily involved in the response, on top of their other biosecurity commitments, with Viki taking on the role as operations manager, hapū spokesperson to the media and delivering communications to hapū and the wider community,’’ Shortland said.
The pair have continuously supported other members of the two hapū who reside in Te Rāwhiti through the ongoing response planning and been very active in the communications space, ensuring signage, flyers and posters are present at nearby boat ramps and distributed through the community.
They have also been trapping in their rohe for more than a decade, mentored by and working alongside some of the best leaders and scientists in the country.
The invasive seaweed caulerpa is causing major problems across Northland, leading to a community response to help deal with the pest.
They have provided valuable input into the Predator Free 2050 Elimination Plan for the Rakaumangamanga Peninsula and Viki is supporting the implementation mahi in a co-ordination and administrative role.
As ahikāroa, the duo, alongside other members from their whānau and hapū, have been working hard to ‘keep the home fires burning’ at Te Rāwhiti and Rakaumangamanga by protecting the peninsula and the islands with pest control. With their continuous work in pest control they have successfully helped the biodiversity to flourish.
They have been involved with bringing back the birdsong to the nearby offshore islands in Ipipiri for a long time as part of Nga Kaitiaki o Ipipiri Herenga Waaka - The Guardians of the Bay of Islands group, working with Project Island Song.
They have also been helping with the translocations of taonga endemic/native species back to the islands.
Recently, they helped with the release of 180 wētapunga back to the islands with Project Island Song of which Rana is on the committee. They are also certified kiwi handlers.
With their ongoing work, Rana and Viki have successfully helped biodiversity flourish, bird song return, fauna and flora grow.
