Mātauranga Māori meets science to save mussel population

Mātauranga Māori and western science are being combined to save the humble mussel - or Kuku - in the Ohiwa Harbour.

Since 2007 the mussel population has fallen from 112 million to just 80,000.

Researchers are integrating Mātauranga Māori - Maori knowledge - into traditional conservation methods in a bid to bring them back, with excellent results.

Kura Paul-Burke is an Associate Professor in Mātai Moana or Marine Research at Waikato University.