Tēnā koe,

Ko Māia-te-oho Holman-Wharehoka tōku ingoa, he uri ahau nō Te Ātiawa, Taranaki, me Te Arawa hoki.

Part of my mahi is working for Love Rimurimu, a giant kelp restoration project looking to restore the kelp forest within Te Whanganui a Tara. Within this project, I lead a piece of research that looks at how natural fibres traditionally used by my tūpuna such as harakeke, muka, pīngao, etc. can be used in the restoration of our kelp forests.

I have been documenting different processes along the way including with microscopic photographs of spores attached to my muka and pīngao ropes, as well as underwater photographs of the kelplings thriving on muka rope in Worser Bay after planting out in 2024.