Cheyenne Clarkin
Pūha Wai: a sprinkler system for stranded whales
Ngati Hako
How Puha Wai is intended to work
Puha Wai was designed to help in mass stranding events for whales where volunteers can be limited.
Puha Wai is a sprinkler system that provides assistance to rescuers while at a whale stranding event.
This system can interlink between multiple sprinklers depending on the size of the whale stranding.
Bachelor of Design with Honours
New Zealand has one of the highest marine mammal stranding rates in the world, with over 400 strandings a year. Pūha Wai is designed to increase the survival rate of whales at mass strandings.
Pūha Wai is a sprinkler system that helps to keep the whales cool, calm, and comfortable. In contrast to existing methods, this sprinkler system reduces unnecessary human interaction and minimises the stress and discomfort that a whale experiences during a stranding.