Recent Otago Marine Science MSc graduate Mr Peri Subritzky will travel around the country undertaking stock assessments for key marine species (e.g. abundance, size and pollution) and determinations of key environmental and habitat characteristics. The programme is being funded through the Government’s Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund (MBIE) and Ngāi Tahu.

The work will provide support for kaitiaki with training, tool kits and baseline information to support management decisions within their rohe moana (coastal area). In the first year of the programme, the survey design will be deployed within the Ngāi Tahu Takiwā (tribal area); and in the second year it will be expanded to include the North Island.

A simplified surveying regime will be developed for tangata whenua to independently assess trends in stock densities over time and provide feedback for management committees thus supporting Māori communities and kaitiakitanga in a way that is specific to each rohe.