Ngā Huhua: Abundance – Exploring The Wonders Of Te Moana-nui-a-Toi – Before It’s Too Late

Beyond Auckland’s shoreline lies Te Moana-nui-a-Toi, the outer reaches of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park - an ocean abundant with life, yet largely unknown to most New Zealanders. On 7 November, the New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa will open Ngā Huhua: Abundance, a new immersive exhibition that brings this extraordinary place to the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Through stunning underwater photography and immersive videography, visitors will encounter some of the Gulf’s most surprising residents: seven-metre-wide manta rays, critically endangered Bryde’s whales, several species of dolphins and toothed whales, turtles, sunfish, seals and unique NZ storm petrels, among many others. The exhibition blends science, mātauranga Māori, art, and storytelling in a multi-sensory experience. Interactive displays are brought to life by the voices of ocean advocates and the mana whenua of Aotea (Great Barrier Island), Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea, the kaitiaki of Te Moana-nui-a-Toi.

“This exhibition is a celebration, but also a call to protect our moana,” says Vincent Lipanovich, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited New Zealand Maritime Museum Director. “Ngā Huhua: Abundance gives Aucklanders the chance to explore a marine world most are likely never to have seen, and to understand why more protection of Te Moana-nui-a-Toi is so urgent.”

Ngā Huhua: Abundance is proudly presented in partnership with Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea, who have led ongoing efforts to protect and restore Te Moana-nui-a-Toi. Their role as kaitiaki shapes the exhibition’s call to care for this extraordinary environment.

“Our parents and grandparents remembered a time when whales brought life with them, when seabirds were healthy and everywhere, and kai moana was abundant,” says Opo Ngawaka, former chair of Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust. “Now, the birds are declining, species have been overfished, and we are seeing the effects of foreign and local exploitation. We don’t want our tamariki to just inherit what’s left, we want to make it better for the generations to come.”

More than a quarter of the Southern Hemisphere’s marine mammal species have been sighted in Te Moana-nui-a-Toi, along with more than 20 per cent of the world’s seabird species. But while rich with life, it is also under huge pressure from human activity, marine heat waves and the effects of climate warming. Overfishing has seen populations of key members of the food web such as seabirds, schooling fish, kingfish, crayfish, and scallops decline to a shadow of their former abundance. Invasives like Caulerpa seaweed and the long-spined sea urchin are spreading, and microplastics, noise pollution and bottom trawling pile stress on this incredible ecosystem.

Despite its global importance, very little of the outer Hauraki Gulf is fully protected. Even with recent passing of The Hauraki Gulf Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill, only 6 per cent will be declared a high protection area, falling well short of the 30 per cent global target adopted by many Pacific nations, including Australia. Once a world leader in marine protection, with the first ever marine reserve at Goat Island 50 years ago, New Zealand is now considered a laggard internationally.

“This exhibition is significant for our people as we have witnessed first-hand the decline of what was once an ocean pulsing with life. We have been at the forefront of efforts to protect and restore it, advocating for 350km coastline and water spaces against the impacts of dredge spoil dumping, overfishing, invasive species, and climate pressures. Only by bringing these stories and this imagery to the people of Auckland do we help them understand what is at stake,” says Te Kauri Wihongi, Deputy Chair of Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust.

Ngā Huhua: Abundance runs from 7 November 2025 to July 2026 at the New Zealand Maritime Museum Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa. Entry is free for Aucklanders.

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