nznativefauna is a project born out of a passion for New Zealand's ecology and biodiversity. Because birds and mammals usually take the spotlight, in terms of conservation advocacy, many New Zealanders aren't aware of half of the very awesome and important endemic (only found in New Zealand) freshwater species that exist in our very own backyards. Unfortunately, a number of our freshwater fish and invertebrates are under threat and continue to decline. With this in mind, the aim of this project is to 1) raise awareness of the freshwater critters live in our streams, rivers and lakes and 2) use 50% of the profits to sponsor a New Zealand freshwater project that helps to protect, conserve and restore freshwater fauna. All photographs and illustrations were taken/made by me during my time as a PhD student, where I worked on freshwater mussel ecology at the University of Waikato.