Success story

Kaipātiki Project Champions Kākahi Conservation

The Kaipātiki Project, located in northern Auckland, leads volunteer-driven initiatives to restore and protect local forests, estuaries, and streams. As an Ecohub, it focuses on understanding the distribution of kākahi (freshwater mussels) in urban streams, a taonga (treasure)species crucial for stream health and Te Mana o Te Wai.

The team currently monitors selected streams by manually counting kākahi. They plan to expand their efforts to include multiple streams and tributaries in Coatesville, Auckland. They found eDNA sampling, which involves collecting and analysing genetic material that organisms leave behind in their environment, to be a more cost-effective and less invasive method for assessing kākahi distribution across larger areas.

Konstanze Steiner (Cawthron Institute) assisted in developing a comprehensive sampling strategy and protocols for eDNA sampling methodology, tailored for the Kaipātiki Project staff and volunteers.

Following this, Brett Stansfield and Rob Lewis (Environmental Impact Assessments) led a stream catchment walk to Mahoenui Stream with the project team and volunteers to identify suitable monitoring sites and inform sampling strategy design. This identified two sampling strategy options:

• Option 1 - Identify 1-3 small populations of kākahi and 1-3 large populations of kākahi, and take samples at three distances from the source population
• Option 2 - Carry out Coatesville-wide screening of kākahi : select suitable and accesible sites in the Coatesville area

Cawthron and EIA then hosted both online and onsite training sessions covering various aspects of eDNA sampling, including how to take water samples onsite, set up water filtration stations, and manage sample storage and transport.

This comprehensive training led to the development of a finalised guidance document that summarised all the activities and research undertaken for the project.

The Cawthron report prepared by our experts will help guide the Kaipātiki Project EcoHub and enable their team, enhancing their skills and expanding their capacity for detecting kākahi in the North Auckland area. This guide will be used for ongoing training to increase knowledge of kākahi presence in Eskdale and Coatesville.