Case study: Drinking water in Te Hiku o Te Ika

The communities of rural Māori settlements in Te Hiku o te Ika (Northland) rely on rainfall for their drinking water – a resource that will be impacted by climate change in the form of droughts and floods impacting water quality and quantity.

This report gives an account of the research project ‘Drinking water in Te Hiku o Te Ika’, which explored how climate change will impact drinking water supply sustainability in three Te Hiku communities – Te Kao, Pawarenga and Motukaraka, in the far north of Aotearoa.

Specifically, the aim was to learn more about household and community drinking water supplies, challenges and threats, as well as whanau and hapū understandings of climate change and the possible effects on drinking water.

The project provided an opportunity to gather local data, raise the profile of climate change and start strategising about the likely impacts on these small rural communities.