Making kelp forests visible and supporting ocean recovery

Kelp forests are a foundational part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s coastal ecosystems. They support biodiversity, provide habitat and nursery grounds for marine life, and contribute to the health of coastal environments. However, these ecosystems remain largely unseen while undergoing significant change.

Through volunteer divers and citizen scientists, Explore Your Coast has helped establish baseline data for a kelp forest restoration and kina management project in Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington Harbour (kinaowhanganuiatara.nz). Our volunteers contribute to the ongoing monitoring of the restoration site supporting locally-led restoration efforts in the region.

In the project area, controlled kina management within recreational catch limits is helping reduce grazing pressure, allowing kelp to persist. However, kina populations across the harbour remain extensive, and manual intervention alone is not sufficient to regenerate kelp forests at ecosystem scale. Long-term recovery of kelp forests requires functional ecosystem balance, including natural predator–prey dynamics that regulate kina populations over time.

Explore Your Coast makes marine ecosystems visible and accessible, translating observations into knowledge that is relevant to the public and supports informed engagement with coastal change, including with community leaders and decision-makers. Through immersive virtual reality, storytelling, and education programmes, we bring local underwater environments into schools and communities, supporting deeper understanding and participation in restoration-focused action across local, regional, and national contexts.

What we deliver: Immersive VR experiences of Wellington’s marine ecosystems, classroom and community sessions, citizen science fieldwork, and ongoing marine monitoring, alongside the documentary Seaweed, A Love Story. These programmes bring underwater ecosystems into public view and build understanding of coastal change.

Results speak for themselves: Educators report strong engagement across diverse learning settings, with students extending learning beyond the classroom through creative projects and ongoing discussions at school and at home. Community participants often move from initial awareness toward deeper involvement in local marine monitoring and restoration initiatives.

With your support: Your support enables the delivery of school programmes, community events, immersive learning experiences, and citizen science fieldwork and monitoring. Together, these activities connect people with local marine ecosystems and support participation in monitoring and restoration-focused action.