Literally, the statement Ngā Tini o te Waitai translates as "the multitudes of the sea water". Waitai refers to salt water or sea water. Tini means crowds or a great number. Tini also connects to Tinirau, who in Māori myth descended from Tangaroa (the god of the sea) and is the father of fishes.
Used in conjunction with the Marine Metre Squared name, it describes the environment and what we are hoping to understand and look after through this project.