He moutere tapu, he pātaka kai e tāmingia ana e tētahi pūkohu wai e hā kore nei i te mauri o te moana.

On the serene shores of Aotea, Great Barrier Island, an ecological crisis is silently unfolding. Beneath the water, Caulerpa brachypus, an invasive algae species, rapidly spreads like a creeping shadow. This toxic invader disrupts the delicate balance of the island’s marine ecosystem, endangering not only marine life but also the ancestral fishing practices that have sustained the island’s community for generations. Will we let it smother the future of this marine sanctuary and all of Aotearoa?

E horapa whānui ana ki ngā takutai moana o ngā motu tapu o Aotea tēnei mate kikino, tēnei mate taiao.  Kei ngā ākau o tēnei kāinga o ngā iwi o Ngāti Rehua, o Ngāti Wai ki Aotea te pūkohu wai e karangahia nei ko Caulerpa brachypus. Ko tāna he tūkino i te tauritetanga hauropi, i ngā koiora moana, tae atu rā ki ngā mahinga kai o ngā whakatupuranga tāngata e anga mai nei.

Filmmaker Nathaniel Howe (Ngāti Rehua, Te Rāwhiti) captures this unfolding disaster with a sense of mystery and rising tension, using rare underwater footage to reveal the scope of the Caulerpa invasion. Mauri Moana explores not just the ecological threat but also the cultural impact, highlighting the deep bond between tangata whenua, their whenua, and the moana, while Nathanial’s whakapapa ties to Aotea anchor the narrative in the urgent need to protect these vital connections.

For more information and learn how to join the fight against Caulerpa visit: gbiet.org/caulerpa-response