Cultural Health Index scores for waterways, 2005–16

Cultural Health Index scores for a waterway is a combination measure of historical cultural use and access, mahinga kai assessment, and water quality assessment from a cultural perspective of a site on a waterway.

The Cultural Health Index scores compile this information into a classification system to provide an overall grading of the state of a site and how the state of a site on a waterway affects the mauri, the ability for tangata whenua to feed the hapu and iwi and the overall water quality for the site. These are all important indicators of the cultural health of a waterway, and are also a consideration for other cultural and recreational activities like karakia, cleansing, swimming and wading.