Welcome to the initiatives we are developing to make it easy and effective to help restore our coastal marine environments

Our focus

Our primary focus is restoring and enhancing marine environments beyond Marine reserves.

Marine reserves do an amazing job of protecting and improving marine environment.

We want to focus beyond marine reserves to help restore all our coastal marine habitats to become flourishing with abundant kaimoana and life.

We want to make it easy and accessible for everybody to be apart of restoring our marine environment.

It is as simple as choosing your preffered restoration location and purchasing each conservation initiative to enhance each area.

 

Through professionals partners in the industry of Aquaculture, Marine biology and conservation we can pruduce and carry out these practical restoration initiatives which are visible, measurable and effective in improving the marine habitats.

Once the product is pruduced and planted in its desired location a photo and notification is sent to the purchaser to show their restoration and enhancement work is in action.

 

We can help restore, enhance and shape the healthy coastal environment back to life again.

"As it was our responsibility as humans who effected the environment it is also our responsibility to restore it."

This is the ethos of our work, to endeavour to put right, to restore, enhance and nurture flourishing ecosystems.

 

We are also endeavouring to make sea food collection more sustainable.

If we take any item of sea food out of the ocean it is important that we replant/restock what we take.

 

An example is as followed:

 

I am a keen diver and love Paua and Crayfish.

I go out for a dive and collect a couple of legal sized Paua and Crayfish for a family dinner.

This in turn is removing mature breeding specimens from the ocean.

To counter act this and replace what I have removed I purchase 10 Juvenile Paua (5 for each Paua) and 5 juvenile Crays to be planted back in the same area that I have harvested from.

This in turn insures that numbers of Paua and Crayfish are growing in each area that is harvested from.

Financially this seems fair as the market value for a Paua is around $50 and a Crayfish is around $100 (in 2024).

$10 for a Paua and $20 for a Crayfish is a small price to pay.

 

Further initiatives can be purchased to improve the marine environment and enhance our recreational, commercial and natural habitats.

 

 

Our combination restoration packages

Marine restoration and enhancement site 100sq/m

NZ$10,000.00

This is a full package to help restore and enhance a 100sq/m coastal marine area.

This includes ( in order of operation):

-100 sq/m of Native riperian planting along water way.

-Removal of any invasive marine species

-10sq/m Green shell mussel bed creation.

-100 habitat  creating marine plants planted and developed.

-100 Juvenille Paua seeded

-100 Juvenille/mature Scallops

-10 protected breeding stock Paua colony

-2 protected breeding stock Crayfish pair

 

This also includes the additional costs of consenting, monitering and husbandry work needed to assist the restoration site until it is self sustaining.

 

See details

Restore/enhance Paua colony

NZ$4,000.00

This is a wrap around package to help restore and boost Paua colonies.

It includes (in order of operation)

-site survey of suitibility, species numbers and site health check.

- 100 Marine plant species for Paua food and habitat developed.

- 100 Juvenille Paua 20- 30mm

- 100 Virgin Paua 40- 50mm

- 100 Paua 60- 70mm

- 10 protected breeding stock Paua colony

 

This also includes the additional costs of consenting, monitering and husbandry work needed to assist the restoration site until it is self sustaining.

See details

How do we go about our work. 

 

Site specific Ocean health checks and species surveys.

 

Our Marine conservation dive team surveys specific restoration and enhancement zone locations.

This involves:

-Maping the underwater area identifying different habitats.

-Surveying the abundance, health or lack of marine species.

-Detailing the necessary restorative initiatives needed for each area.

-Carrying out invasive species removal when present.

 

Restoration and enhancement site survey and health check per sq/mitre

NZ$20.00

A team of professional divers carry out a variety of site survey activities including:

-Mapping the underwater terrain and various habitats,

-Species identification, population densities and health checks,

-Water salinity, flow rate, PH, Dissolved Oxygen, Nitrogen and Nitrite level tests,

-Ground substrate samples

-Underwater photos and video

-Biosecurity species removal

See details

Water way surveys, inspections and mitigation pricing.

Our experienced conservation team inspect water ways to detect areas of contamination from silt, high nitrogen or other waste that harm the marine environment.

They locate the areas of contaminations on the map and asign the mitigation work needed to carry out at each location.

Each mitigation task is price calculated for each site and ready for the various sub contractors to carry out the work.

Waterway inspection pr mitre of water way.

NZ$5.00

Cost involved for undergoing waterway inspection.

This includes:

-Fresh water tests.

-Identifying water way contamination sites (eg Exposed soil and sediment, high nitrogen exposure, forestry slash, chemical and farm waste run off.)

-Identifying necessary areas for earthworks to mitigate sediment contamination.

-Immediate grass seeding of exposed soil/slips before larger mitigation work carried out.

-Mapping and pricing of fencing, and Native riparian planting along water ways.

-Invasive species identification and pricing to remove.

 

 

See details

Re population of marine species and habitat restoration.

Juvenile Paua, Scallops, Oysters, kelp and mature Green shell muscles are currently produced in the Aquaculture industry and are availible to be used to repopulate the diffent restoration sites. 

Current work is also underway to germinate Sea grass seeds to assist with Sea grass restoration.

 

Protected Breeding stock colonies developed

Our conservation dive team go about collecting and tagging mature Paua breeding stock.

They are then located together in groups of 10 at the different locations and monitered. 

This is important to insure mature breeding colonies of Paua remain in non marine reserve areas.

Paua are broadcast spawners requiring large numbers of Paua close together to be able to successfully breed. If too many Breeding Paua are collected from an area this can stunt the ability of Paua to be able to successfully breed.

This same process can also be applied to Crayfish using 1 year biodegradable tags on large Mature crayfish which have slowed down their shell maulting period to yearly or longer.

These larger crayfish produce 3-5 times the amount of spawn compared to newly spawning crayfish making them highly valuable to repopulating crayfish numbers.

 

Ecology Planters NZ began with a deep passion for the ocean and a vision for a healthier marine ecosystem. As a New Zealand-based business, we bring a practical and hands-on approach to coastal marine restoration. Our founder, who has always been an avid ocean lover, saw the alarming degradation of our coastal habitats and felt compelled to act. With a team of dedicated professionals, we combine scientific expertise with a heartfelt commitment to the environment. We're not just good at what we do—we live it. Our services range from coastal habitat restoration and restorative aquaculture to marine conservation education. We believe in creating sustainable solutions that not only benefit the environment but also engage and educate our community. Through our work, we aim to foster a deeper connection between people and the ocean, ensuring that future generations can continue to enjoy and benefit from our marine ecosystems.

Get Involved with Ecology Planters NZ

Ready to make a difference? Contact us to learn how you can support or join our efforts in marine conservation.