Mō ngā awa: where the Mangahao Fund has been going

Ruahine Whitewater Club 2024 River Rescue Course – Photos courtesy of Graeme Curwen

Every year, the Mangahao Fund puts money back into the rivers and paddlers of Aotearoa. Since 2022, it has distributed more than $60,000 to clubs and community projects, and we want to show you where it has gone.

A few highlights:

• Safer paddlers: The fund has paid for river rescue and safety training for clubs across the lower North Island, including train-the-trainer courses that build a club’s own capacity to teach safety and rescue to new paddlers.
• Better places to paddle: Three rounds of support have backed Whitewater Taranaki’s “Meeting of the Waters” course, the only reliable run in a region where the rivers depend on rain. The fund has also helped begin restoration of the Kakapotahi access road on the West Coast.
• Access kept open: A toilet on the remote Waikarataheke River lets paddlers camp and paddle for a weekend, and conservation work has improved the Hutt Gorge on Te Awa Kairangi.
• Rivers defended: The fund’s fighting fund has met legal costs opposing the Kaituna hydro Fast Track, standing up for access and flows on a nationally significant awa.

Thanks to the committee for their hard work regarding all the considerations that come with allocating these funds, as we eagerly await whitewater users to once again be able to enjoy the Mangahao awa through the restoration of recreational releases.

→ See everything the Mangahao Fund has supported, and how your club can apply.

Mō ngā awa te aroha, he waiaroha — For the love of rivers