The legacy of Tarawera Awa
Reimagining the Past to Restore Our Awa
The Tarawera Awa is woven into the history of the iwi collective. The Awa is perceived as an ancestor, embodying the mana of iwi who have a relationship with it. It has a mauri (lifeforce) and is viewed as one part of a holistic network of waterbodies, including Lake Tarawera and Te Awa o Te Atua.
The ancestral path of the river, as our tupuna knew it, no longer flows. Restoration of the mauri to reflect its former state remains an enduring aspiration of the Tarawera Iwi Collective. To do this, we must reimagine the past to help identify pathways for restoration.
We acknowledge the social, environmental and economic values associated with the Tarawera, Rangitāki, Orini and other Awa within the rohe and the importance of working together with tangata whenua, communities, industry and river users.
“If the life force is well then the river Tarawera is well, and the people are well”
– Dr Pouroto Ngaropo
Our commitment as kaitiaki
Healing the mauri of the awa
We have an inherited responsibility to protect and advocate for our Tūpuna Awa and to ensure that our legacy of kaitiakitanga is handed down to our mokopuna in a way that celebrates the life force of the Tarawera and the wellbeing it provides for all.
Driven by the urgency to restore the river’s health, the Tarawera Iwi Collective has determined central aspirations that form the basis of a Mauri Restoration Strategy. They align with the collective mātauranga about what it will take to heal our Awa, what it will take to allow the Awa to recover and how we can protect the holistic wellbeing of our taonga for current and future generations.
Te Rautaki Wai Ki Tarawera ki Te Awa o Te Atua – Restoring Te Mauri o Tarawera Awa ki Te Awa o Te Atua
Open for submissions
The Proposed Tarawera Awa Strategy “Te Rautaki Wai Ki Tarawera ki Te Awa o Te Atua – Restoring Te Mauri o Tarawera Awa ki Te Awa o Te Atua” is open for submissions.
This Strategy Document sets out the vision, desired outcomes and objectives for the Tarawera River catchment. It gives effect to parts of the Ngāti Rangitihi Claims Settlement Act 2022.
Submissions are welcome on the proposed Tarawera Awa ki Te Awa o Te Atua document.
The document sets out why we value the Tarawera Awa ki Te Awa o Te Atua catchment, our concerns for it (the issues) and a vision for its future.
Submissions close at 4pm on Monday 25 May 2026.
