Māngai Wai Māori: Understanding the Health of Our Wai

Te Kura Taka Pini (TKTP) is working with the 18 Ngāi Tahu Papatipu Rūnanga (tribal councils) to understand the health of our wai and make drinking water safer for our communities. Launched in 2024, this water quality surveillance programme trains rūnanga personnel to carry out ongoing water testing at Ngāi Tahu marae (community meeting places).

A network of Māngai Wai Māori (our water champions) has been established to monitor drinking water safety across the takiwā. Māngai Wai Māori are trained in sampling techniques, and collect drinking water samples which are then analysed in the laboratory. The programme also supports Māngai Wai Māori to interpret test results, building local capability to manage water safety at both whānau and rūnanga levels.

This work is giving us a clearer understanding of the quality of drinking water supplied to Ngāi Tahu communities and how well treatment systems are performing. In its first year, the programme identified and resolved several issues at marae, including E. coli contamination, faulty equipment, and infrastructure failures.

Funded through Te Niwha in its first year, the programme will continue through to 2029 with support from MBIE Endeavour funding, in partnership with PHF Science. Together with PHF Science, TKTP will continue to investigate marae drinking water and enhance water safety.

The collaboration also enables the use of innovative metagenomic and qPCR techniques to study the full microbial community in drinking water, such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. These methods improve pathogen detection and help us understand how microbial populations change, providing insight into real health risks. With this knowledge, we can better identify contamination sources and determine what needs fixing.

By understanding the health of our wai, identifying contamination sources, and exercising rangatiratanga, we are taking control of our drinking water, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our communities, mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei (for us and for future generations).

• Factsheet: What's in our wai?