Mahitahi Maitai

The Maitai River was culturally significant for early Māori and remains a taonga for the people of Nelson today. As well as being the drinking water source for Nelson, the valley provides many recreational opportunities and habitat for a range of species. The upper catchment is a mix of native and exotic forestry, with some lifestyle properties in the mid-catchment and the lower catchment heavily urbanised.

Friends of the Maitai have been active in the catchment for several years. Their mahi includes planting thousands of trees and plant care, river monitoring and working with Nelson City Council and Forestry to achieve better outcomes for the river. 

Project Mahitahi is a collaborative effort to restore the ecosystems of the Mahitahi. The project has included riparian planting, weed control, restoring wetlands, and improving habitat throughout the middle catchment.

The list of who's involved, and the actions and/or stories reported for this catchment come from the groups that have shared their efforts through the national Healthy Waterways register. You can add your group's actions to improve the health of waterways in this catchment by using the link to the register at the bottom of this page.