Tauranga's harbour is the focus of a day long symposium aiming to raise awareness and educate the public on the waters surrounding the city.

The symposium started at 9am at the Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club providing an opportunity for interested community groups to showcase work being undertaken around the harbour.

Tauranga Harbour programme co-ordinator Bruce Gardner says there are three themes to today's symposium starting with ‘what we know about the harbour'.

'Then in the afternoon sessions we have a session which is all about increasing the communities understanding of the harbour, showcasing the really amazing works the community groups are taking on the harbour.”

This will be followed by a short session on some of the projects the Tauranga City Council is undertaking to restore the harbour.

Keynote speakers are Rahera Ohia from the Tauranga Moana iwi collective and Professor David Schiel from Canterbury University marine research group.

'We would like to see better informed communities and give the public a better overall appreciation of what this harbour has to offer and the sort of work going on to restore and improve it.

'It's also an opportunity for community groups to show off their work and hopefully increasing their membership.”