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Using the Cultural Health Index: How to assess the health of streams and waterways

The Cultural Health Index (CHI) is a tool that Māori can use to assess and manage waterways in their area. The index allows iwi/hapū to assess the cultural and biological health of a stream or catchment, and then communicate this information to water managers in a way that can be understood and integrated into resource management processes.

This guide explains how to apply the CHI for streams and waterways, from selecting sites and setting up a monitoring team, to calculating the CHI scores for the sites. It provides resources such as forms, recommended interview questions, and data collection worksheets.

A technical report is available which describes the science and development of the Cultural Health Index.

Supporting Documents