Let the Ocean Breathe: Tackling Sedimentation in the Hauraki Gulf

A Quiet Crisis

There’s a quiet crisis happening in the Hauraki Gulf—one that’s murky, creeping, and often invisible to the naked eye.
It’s called sedimentation, and it’s choking our moana (ocean) from the sea floor up.

You’ve probably seen it before: after heavy rain.

The water turns brown, cloudy, and thick near the shore. What you’re seeing is soil—earth meant to nourish the land—being washed into the ocean in torrents. This sediment smothers marine life, covers the seabed in a silty blanket, and makes it nearly impossible for sunlight to reach our precious seagrasses and shellfish beds.

So, what’s causing it?
In a nutshell: us.

Decades of land clearing, deforestation, poorly managed development, and agriculture have stripped the whenua (land) of its natural protectors—trees, shrubs, and deep-rooted native vegetation that hold the soil in place. Without them, the rain does what rain does. It runs downhill, taking precious topsoil with it.

But here’s the magic part—we can flip the script!

Planting Hope, One Tree at a Time

‍The solution isn’t complicated.
It’s green. It’s community-powered. And it’s beautiful.

By planting native trees—like kānuka, mānuka, and tōtara—we can stitch strength back into the landscape. The roots of native trees act like nature’s netting, holding the soil tight, filtering rainwater, and slowing down erosion before it hits our streams and spills into the Gulf.

Every tree planted is an act of restoration.
Of healing. Of giving the ocean a chance to breathe again.

“Together, we can heal the sea by regenerating the land."

Want to help?‍

Join a local planting day.
Bring your gumboots, your whānau, your love for this place we’re lucky enough to call home.

Whether you plant one tree or a hundred, you become part of the solution.
This isn’t just conservation. It’s connection. It’s leadership. It’s a legacy we can build with our own two hands—and a few muddy boots.

Let’s turn the tide together!

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