Mere Tamanui

Introduction:

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Mere Tamanui is the Director of Taniwha Connections, an environmental service dedicated to connecting whānau with wai Māori and the whenua. Mere also leads Uawa Factory Road Native Nursery, supplying native plants for local environmental projects. With a background in Māori environmental advancement, Mere’s work is deeply rooted in mātauranga Māori and kaitiakitanga.

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Water holds deep spiritual significance for Mere and her whānau. Growing up, she was guided by her grandparents' teachings through their Ringatū faith, which emphasised the spiritual cleansing of both whānau and land. This connection to water has been a calling for Mere since childhood. Her passion for water protection intensified when her whānau faced the threat of hydraulic fracking on their whenua, revisiting the historical trauma linked to their whakapapa and the imprisonment of their ancestors.

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Mere's journey into freshwater protection also stems from her study of Air Marine and Freshwater Studies, where she developed a love for tuna. Her learning continued at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, where she gained her Bachelor’s in Taiao under the mentorship of Tina Ngata, who influenced her application of mātauranga Māori alongside contemporary scientific methods to monitor and protect wai.

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For Mere, healing the whānau and the whenua are intertwined, and she works tirelessly to reconnect her people with water as a source of healing and resilience. She collaborates with iwi and hapū on freshwater monitoring initiatives, integrating cultural knowledge to enhance waterway health and ensure the preservation of tuna and other taonga species for future generations.

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Mere’s Wisdom:

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• ‍Spiritual connection to freshwater and healing: Mere shares that freshwater holds deep spiritual significance for her whānau, linking it to whakapapa, healing, and environmental stewardship. She explains, “To heal our whānau is to heal our whenua, and water brings a lot of that for us." Her family's traditional practices and her grandparents’ teachings have guided her approach to freshwater biosecurity and pest management. Water is not only a resource but also a medium of healing and a reminder of ancestral trauma and connection.

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• ‍Reconnecting whānau with whenua and waterways: One of the key challenges Mere identifies is the disconnection between whānau and their natural environment, particularly in terms of freshwater management. She emphasises the need for meaningful engagement based on Māori values, such as Marae Tikanga Taiao, to empower hapū and whānau in their environmental stewardship. "It's about reconnecting them with their taiao," she explains, adding that this connection fosters kaitiakitanga and a sense of ownership over environmental outcomes.

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• ‍Integrating mātauranga Māori and contemporary Science: Mere advocates for balancing mātauranga Māori with modern science, ensuring indigenous knowledge systems are not overshadowed by contemporary approaches. “There’s some awesome stuff that modern technology can do to complement our mātauranga,” she acknowledges but highlights the importance of creating spaces where whānau lead and share their own knowledge. 

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• ‍Practical solutions for freshwater pest management: Mere proposes several practical solutions to enhance biosecurity efforts, including the establishment of cleaning stations at jetties to prevent the spread of pests between waterways. She highlights the importance of raising awareness, particularly among tamariki, about sustainable practices in freshwater ecosystems. "To create awareness is prevention,  and prevention is key to health."

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• ‍‍Support for whānau-led projects: Mere stresses the need for DOC to provide clearer guidance and better support for whānau projects. She suggests that DOC could do more to help whānau navigate the complexities of freshwater management, especially in securing resources and understanding their roles. “Even having an advocate for whānau projects... is huge if there are resources that whānau can tap into.”

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Tauārai - Barriers:

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• ‍Lack of empowerment and ownership in knowledge sharing: Mere notes that mātauranga Māori is often sidelined in favour of contemporary scientific approaches, creating a barrier for Māori-led pest management practices. She cautions against non-Māori leading or extracting knowledge without Māori oversight, saying, “You need to empower people to share their stories, not go and share their story for them.” She also fears that external groups might come in and document Māori knowledge without giving whānau the tools to manage the data themselves.

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• ‍Disconnection from whenua and waterways: Mere highlights a significant challenge in reconnecting whānau with their natural environment. She points out that this has created barriers to practising kaitiakitanga effectively, as whānau are often disconnected from the spaces where ancestral knowledge of environmental stewardship is typically passed down. “Water has memory. Reconnecting with whenua, whakapapa or land story can evoke historic trauma, it is paramount to create safe spaces of engagement in pursuit of mauri ora of wai for all.”‍

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• ‍Closer working relationships between DOC and Project managers are beneficial: Mere describes frustrations with a lack of clarity in DOC’s guidance and support for whānau-led projects. She explains that projects like Jobs for Nature provided limited initial guidance, which impacted the efficacy of their environmental efforts. “If DOC can make it clear to people what they can do... That would have been more successful.”‍

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• ‍Resource accessibility and proposal writing challenges: Securing funding and resources is a significant barrier for many whānau-led initiatives. Mere points out that many whānau lack experience in writing proposals to access funding. She suggests DOC could assist by providing resources or offering proposal support, which would help whānau tap into available funding streams: “Most whānau don’t know how to put a proposal together to get stuff going.”‍

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• ‍Limited awareness and communication channels: Mere explains that information about DOC programs and resources often fails to reach whānau. She suggests that DOC could improve its communication strategies by sharing information through community centres, marae, and local hubs. “If we don’t know they’re there... How are you promoting that to whānau?”‍

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• ‍Need for infrastructure to prevent pest spread: Mere sees a practical barrier in the lack of infrastructure for biosecurity at local jetties, which could help prevent the spread of pests across waterways. She advocates for cleaning stations, stating, “There’s a hose tap from council down at every jetty so people are washing their boats off when coming off the water.” This infrastructure would enable whānau and recreational users to follow biosecurity practices more effectively.

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Mere Recommends:

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• ‍Reconnect whānau to wai and whenua: Facilitate community workshops at marae to foster shared responsibility for waterways through storytelling, karakia, and practices that strengthen kaitiakitanga.

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• ‍Empower knowledge ownership: Create whānau-led data systems for biosecurity monitoring, ensuring mātauranga Māori remains with Māori through culturally safe data-sharing protocols.

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• ‍Clarify guidance and support for whānau projects: Develop resource kits with clear guidelines, training, and tikanga-based mentoring to assist whānau engaging in DOC biosecurity efforts.

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• ‍Support funding and proposal writing: Provide workshops and guidance to help whānau prepare and submit funding proposals for biosecurity and environmental projects.

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• ‍Expand communication channels: Disseminate DOC information via community centres, marae, and hui, using tikanga-based introductions like karakia to foster understanding and engagement.

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• ‍Install biosecurity cleaning stations: Collaborate with councils to install cleaning stations at water access points, ensuring alignment with tikanga, including seasonal respect for species.

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• ‍Blend mātauranga Māori and contemporary Science: Encourage collaborative research by engaging kaitiaki in biosecurity projects with culturally safe data-sharing methods and storytelling protocols.

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• ‍Raise awareness through community education: Run biosecurity awareness programs at marae and schools, utilising hands-on learning and social media to reach tamariki and whānau.

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• ‍Establish collaborative and equitable governance: Form iwi and hapū advisory groups within DOC projects to ensure decisions reflect Māori perspectives and reinforce whanaungatanga.

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In Summary:

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Mere emphasises the importance of reconnecting whānau with their ancestral knowledge and wai (water) as a foundation for effective freshwater pest management. She advocates for biosecurity practices that align with Te Ao Māori values, recognising the care of waterways as both a cultural responsibility and a spiritual practice. The key challenges include limited Māori-centred support within DOC initiatives, insufficient communication about whānau-led project eligibility, and the need for whānau to retain autonomy over data collected in their kaitiakitanga efforts.

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Photo © Tairāwhiti Ngutukākā - East Coast Kakabeak