Awa Reading Comprehension

He Taonga te Wai — Water is a Treasure

The Ōtaki River begins its journey in the Tararua ranges, flowing cold and clean from bush-covered hills. Within a few kilometres of the township, its character changes. Beside the river, a worn sign reads: "He taonga te wai" — water is a treasure. But for many local iwi and environmental groups, the river's current state tells a different story.

In summer, when water levels drop, a grey-green film of algae — known as periphyton — can bloom across the rocks. Ecologists say this is caused by excess nutrients from farmland entering the river through groundwater and storm drains. When it rains heavily, runoff from roads, paddocks, and car parks washes directly into the waterway with no treatment. The algae blooms block sunlight and reduce oxygen in the water, threatening the kōura (freshwater crayfish) and kākahi (freshwater mussel) that once thrived here.

The Ōtaki River is the awa of Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga. For more than twenty years, local people have worked to restore its health and its mauri — its life force. Friends of the Ōtaki River, a community group that works alongside Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki, raises seven to eight thousand native plants in its riverside nursery every year and runs public planting days where whānau and volunteers plant them along the banks. Restoration walks and kōrero with people from Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga help guide the mahi, so that the ngahere beside the awa grows back the way it belongs.

It is tempting to think a river is fixed once the rubbish is picked up. But much of the pollution is invisible — it comes from what is poured down drains and what runs off lawns, roads and paddocks. That is why kaitiakitanga is not a one-day clean-up. It is a permanent relationship with a place.

Text sources: Friends of the Ōtaki River (Ōtaki Mail; Greater Wellington Regional Council); Ngā Hapū o Ōtaki whenua projects; Te Kāhui Māngai (Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga); Te Pūnaha Matatini, "Hīkoi, kōrero and community-led restoration of ngahere in Ōtaki".

1. Literal — What does the text say directly?

What two things do local people do to help restore the Ōtaki River? Name both.

2. Literal — Where does the text say the nutrients come from?

List two sources of nutrients that cause algae blooms in the river.

3. Inference — Reading between the lines

The text says "much of the pollution is invisible." What does this suggest about how most people understand river pollution? Why might this misunderstanding make kaitiakitanga harder?

4. Inference — Why plant natives?

Why do you think planting native trees and plants along the banks helps the river? Use ideas from the text about algae, nutrients, and runoff in your answer.

5. Evaluative — Your own thinking

The text says kaitiakitanga is "a permanent relationship with a place", not a one-day clean-up. Do you agree? Use evidence from the text AND from your own awa investigation to explain your answer.