“From injured turtles and endangered penguins to ecosystem regeneration, this partnership is about the big picture,” says Daniel Henderson of Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s. Photo / Jason Oxenham
“From injured turtles and endangered penguins to ecosystem regeneration, this partnership is about the big picture,” says Daniel Henderson of Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s. Photo / Jason Oxenham
By Alison Smith
Pairing marine rehabilitation with New Zealand’s first commercial seaweed seed bank is the latest initiative to come from a partnership between Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium and Greenwave Aotearoa.
The pairing says joining forces supports endangered biodiversity, empowers rangatahi [youth] through marine education, and helps growNew Zealand’s regenerative ocean economy.
“From injured turtles and endangered penguins to ecosystem regeneration, this partnership is about the big picture,” said Daniel Henderson, general manager of Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s.
Henderson said Kelly Tarlton’s Marine Wildlife Trust, a registered charity, had ramped up its work over the past year.
“In 2024-2025, a record number of injured turtles arrived to us needing care, and in March this year, nine rehabilitated sea turtles were released, five of them fitted with satellite trackers through a research partnership with DoC [Department of Conservation] and Auckland Zoo.”
He said the trust had also supported the hand-rearing of critically endangered hoiho chicks, in collaboration with the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, and annual kōura (crayfish) reef surveys with Ngāti Paoa and the Waiheke Marine Project.
Henderson said the Trust’s Ocean Youth programme – an immersive eight-day journey for students aged 13–16 to educate and inspire ocean action – fostered “future changemakers”.
He said the trust was pleased to support Greenwave Aotearoa with a location for its work regenerating oceans through seaweed aquaculture.
“The partnership will also see benefits to Kelly Tarlton’s Marine Wildlife Trust and other charitable groups which support marine life that’s in need of our help.”
Greenwave Aotearoa’s national seaweed seed bank provides income to Kelly Tarlton’s Marine Wildlife Trust and operates under Greenwave Aotearoa’s commercial fish farm licence.
The seaweed seed bank is a “living library” of native kelp species, including Ecklonia radiata, Macrocystis, and Lessonia sourced from regions such as the Hauraki Gulf, Marlborough, Bluff, Akaroa and Rakiura, with support from iwi.
“Think of it like ecosourcing – but for seaweed,” said Ryan Marchington, Greenwave Aotearoa’s aquaculture lead.
“Rather than waiting for natural fertility cycles, this seed bank allows us to access kelp material on demand, which is critical for both commercial growing and safeguarding wild populations.”
Greenwave Aotearoa’s aquaculture lead Ryan Marchington (left) and Daniel Henderson, general manager of Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium.
Marchington previously managed a commercial seaweed hatchery and biobank at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, bringing international expertise to Greenwave Aotearoa’s local solutions.
New Zealand has more than 1100 species of native seaweeds.
However, while brown kelps adapt well to seed banking, Marchington said, red seaweeds had more complex life cycles that limited current hatchery methods.
The seed bank is expanding with a hatchery that grows juvenile seaweed on spools.
Some equipment is being relocated from a Greenwave Aotearoa seaweed hatchery in Coromandel, where a trial seaweed farm has been in place for four years.
The organisation has another successful seaweed hatchery staffed by two people in Tauranga.
To help share the science with the public, Greenwave Aotearoa and Sea Life Kelly Tarlton’s plan to create an educational display that highlights the role of seaweed in climate action, coastal protection, and ocean biodiversity.
“This partnership is an exciting example of collaboration across sectors of wildlife care, youth education, and restorative aquaculture,” said Greenwave Aotearoa lead Rebecca Barclay-Cameron.
“It’s helping to share the story of the ecosystem benefits of a marine environment with healthy seaweed while also ensuring a secure store of unique ecological seed stock from different regions of New Zealand.”
