Pāuatahanui inlet cockle count 2026
02 November 2025 - 02 November 2025
1 pm start
Region(s): Wellington
Type(s): citizen Science
The Guardians of Pāuatahanui Inlet (GOPI) will be leading the 12th Pāuatahanui triennial cockle survey on Sunday 2 November at 1 pm (with a weather-determined back-up date is 16 November).
Cockles form a large part of the Pāuatahanui Inlet marine fauna and monitoring the strength of the population is an important tool for assessing the ecological health of the Inlet. The GOPI programme (the longest running community science programme in Aotearoa New Zealand) has long been recognised as a prime scientific activity, both for the information it provides and for the opportunity it offers the community to be actively involved in implementation of the strategic plans for the Harbour.
New Zealand cockles (Austrovenus stutchburyi)
Austrovenus stutchburyi, common names are tuaki, tuangi or New Zealand cockle, and they are widespread in sediments ranging from soft mud to soft, silty sand across New Zealand harbours and estuaries from the mean tide level to low tide. These bivalve molluscs are endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand and play a vital role in marine ecosystems.
There are 30 survey sites around the inlet and each site needs a team of at least 3, preferably 4 or 5, volunteers. This means that they need the help of around 120 members of the community with 30 of those willing to take on the role of team leader.
Participating in the survey is a great activity for secondary school students, particularly those studying biology and ecology. It also offers the opportunity of a team building activity for local groups, businesses and other organisations or just a group of friends who want to spend an afternoon together doing something constructive for the community.
Note: for those of you who have participated in previous years, they have streamlined the sieving process and it is now much quicker and easier.
For more information: https://gopi.org.nz/cockle-surveys/
Related content
For more on cockles check out our Cockles article. Discover more about tuaki and explore food and resource-gathering traditions practised by Ngāi Tahu whānau in Te Waipounamu, this is part of the Mahinga kai – natural resources that sustain life interactive.
Explore a range of citizen science projects to do with your students here. Check out these tips for planning your science programme and the Getting started with citizen science and Online citizen science webinars.
Activity idea
The activity Labelling a cockle/tuangi uses the interactive Label the cockle/tuangi to explore some of the structures of this common marine bivalve. The activity provides an excellent opportunity to discuss structural adaptations.
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