About Wetewete
Wetewete is a Māori word that can mean to untangle, unravel, or set free.
It reflects both sides of this work: untangling practical problems, and sharing solutions openly so others can use them, adapt them, and build on them.
Why Wetewete exists
Wetewete exists to solve small, practical problems encountered in conservation fieldwork — the kind of problems that don’t always justify commercial products, but still matter on the ground.
Many tools began as one-off solutions for specific places or monitoring tasks. Over time, it became clear that these problems weren’t unique — and that sharing solutions openly could save others time, effort, and frustration.
Rather than reinventing the wheel, Wetewete focuses on making useful things once, then setting them free.
Open by design
All Wetewete tools are shared as open-source designs. Files are free to download, adapt, and make locally — whether that’s on your own equipment, through a makerspace, or with help from someone nearby.
Open sharing isn’t just about access. It’s about improvement. Tools tend to get better when they’re used in different places, by different people, and for different purposes.
For some tools, field-ready versions are available for those who don’t have the time, equipment, or inclination to make them themselves.
Local making
Where field-ready tools are offered, they’re produced locally in Aotearoa New Zealand in collaboration with Fab Lab Masterton — a community makerspace with a focus on learning, access, and shared capability.
This approach supports local fabrication, reduces unnecessary transport and overproduction, and keeps tools closely connected to the communities that use them. Wherever possible, materials are chosen for practicality and availability, not mass manufacture — see our materials statement.
Where this work comes from
Wetewete sits at the intersection of conservation fieldwork and practical making. That overlap isn’t accidental.
Wetewete is grounded in work that began with co-founding Fab Lab Masterton over a decade ago, working in the spaces between conservation, technology, and community-led problem solving.
Many of the tools shared here grew out of that overlap — responding to real needs encountered in the field, and shaped by access to local fabrication, open-source tools, and collaborative spaces.
What’s your story?
Do you have an itch for a tool that needs scratching? is there a widget that could remove some friction from your daily work? We might already be working on something similar, or if the idea intrigues us, we might just make it next.
Or have you created your own solution to a small problem that might be worth sharing with the world?
We’d love to talk about what else Wetewete could be for you.