Rāwinia Wikaira has seen the impact of ocean pollution first hand in the waters wher her tupuna (ancestors) would regularly collect seafood.
Nine to Noon and Jessica Hopkins
An international crew of 10 women, including one New Zealander, have set off on a sailing expedition to trace plastic in the ocean in the South Pacific. Their first stop is Aotea Great Barrier Island, where they will conduct a plastic cleanup. From there, they will sail to the Bay of Islands. The South Pacific expedition, which also includes Tonga, is the first stage of a global voyage by eXXpedition to map plastic pollution from sea to source.
At Auckland’s Westhaven Marina, recent Otago University graduate Rāwinia Wikaira (Ngāti Wai, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Te Rangi), was preparing to go to sea on Thursday when she spoke to RNZ.
Wikaira studied Māori Studies and Ecology and was the recipient of eXXpedition’s bursary for a wāhine Māori to join the crew in Aotearoa.
“It was my supervisor at Auckland Uni who recommended it,” she said.
“I didn’t really know much about eXXpedition before I applied, but after I found out, I was like, wow, this is a really cool project, and I’d love to be a part of it.”
The crew will be sailing through Wikaira’s rohe of Ngāti Wai, where Wikaira had seen the negative impacts of plastic firsthand.
“My tupuna, my ancestors, they would regularly fish, go diving, and collect seafood.
“It’s a really important place for me, personally, and just to see microplastics degrading the water and also our food sources is very sad,” Wikaira said.
“Shellfish are being impacted. They’re filter feeders, and they take in the microplastics. So when you collect it and eat it, then it’s going into your system and into your bloodstream. It can really impact your health, and now it’s being passed on to the next generation.”
Scientists estimate that around five trillion plastic pieces, mostly microplastics, were in the ocean in 2014. By 2023, that figure soared to an estimated 171 trillion. The eXXpedition crews’ science and research lead, Dr Taylor Maddalene, from the University of Georgia in the US, said plastic ending up in the ocean was having major impacts on human health and the environment.
“Essentially, a dump truck’s worth of plastic gets into the ocean every minute,” Maddalene said.
“We’ve just created this amazing problem of scale that has grown exponentially and is continuing to grow exponentially, and we’re just starting to really uncover all of the issues that are associated with it.
“We now know that it’s causing impacts across the ecosystems. It’s going up the food chains. It’s getting into us and what we eat. It’s affecting our offspring, and now is a really critical time to start changing everything so that we can get on a better course, start using better materials, better delivery methods, better waste management, and hopefully less plastic waste leakage in the first place.”
UK marine scientist Rowan Henthorn is the leader of the South Pacific expedition.
She said they would be using a manta trawl, a net that takes samples from the ocean surface, to identify what plastic was in the water. Then they would try to determine its source.
Plastic fragments found in the ocean are analysed with an FTIR which helps the crew establish the origin of the pollution.
A previous study eXXpedition did in Antigua found paint and resin chips in the water there, which they were able to trace back to paint from boat yards and the yachting industry, Henthorn said.
She said that while plastic pollution was a global problem, solving it required specific solutions at a local level.
“It’s trying to provide data and evidence that helps people and policymakers make informed decisions about where they should be spending resources in terms of management, whether that’s waste management, legislation, policy, or community engagement. It will be different solutions for different areas. So we hope we can help inform that.”
In the coming week, the crew will be working with Sustainable Coastlines volunteers to remove plastic from remote areas at Aotea, Great Barrier Island. As the island is downwind of Auckland, waste from the city often ended up on the island’s shores. Makere Jenner, who lives on Rangiahua Island, the westernmost island off of Aotea, wanted something done about it.
“We’ve had birds and even a turtle entangled in plastic on Rangiahua Island. Our seabirds mistakenly eat it too, which damages their insides and can actually cause starvation.
“Not much has been done to help our species, so I’m heartened to see more research specifically addressing the plastic pollution.”
She said plastic pollution washing up there was derailing the local iwi’s conservation efforts.
“On Rangiahua Island, our Tū Mai Taonga project, run by our iwi, Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai ki Aotea, made the island predator-free. Now it’s a safe haven for our native taonga species to return and thrive. But if our ocean space is in a bad state, that can’t happen.”
eXXpedition had 10 all-women research sailing trips, including in the Arctic, Antarctica, and the North Pacific, planned between now and summer 2027.
Henthorn said plastic pollution was a particular concern for women.
“One of the issues around plastic pollution is its impact on our bodies. Particularly for women, it’s potential to impact our hormones and be endocrine-disrupting. We see it as a female-centric issue.
“Women are also massively underrepresented in science, adventure, and sailing.”
The data gathered by the group and a report for each ocean basin they surveyed will eventually be available to the public online. Their ultimate goal was an interactive map where people could look at the problematic plastic waste in their communities.
