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Mapping Incorporation of Te Ao Māori in the Freshwater Biosecurity System

Ko te wai - te oranga o te taiao

This report explores how Māori freshwater biosecurity Kaitiaki engage with Aotearoa’s freshwater pest management system, highlighting challenges and opportunities for aligning efforts with Te Ao Māori. Based on insights from Māori experts, it provides actionable recommendations to strengthen kaitiakitanga and improve the protection of our waterways.

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About the Report

This report is an opportunity to peer into brilliant Māori minds. These Kaitiaki and Kairangahau offer valuable insights into the intersection of cultural values and environmental stewardship, colliding, sometimes with pointy edges, with Government and regulatory practices.

They walk their talk and demonstrate their love of the whenua and wai through their daily actions.  Their intentional application of various mātauranga Māori informed frameworks, that weave together traditional knowledge systems and science, has been humbling to listen to and reflect upon.

MEA believe the insights gathered from Kaitiaki Māori are important for DOC staff as a template to protect community relationships as well as understand how mātauranga Māori can help inform practice to safeguard freshwater ecosystems from invasive pest species.

Ko te mea nui - mahia te mahi, we must work together to get this work done.

Recommendations & Insights

In this research, we highlight key strategies for strengthening DOC’s freshwater biosecurity efforts by integrating Te Ao Māori principles, ensuring Māori communities can exercise kaitiakitanga and mana whakahaere. Across all case studies, a recurring theme is the need for trust-based relationships, prioritising local expertise, and providing culturally responsive support for whānau-led initiatives.

Key Recommendations:
  • Listen to the knowledge of local peoples
  • Invest in local kaitiaki
  • Honour Matauranga Māori
  • Establish and continue to develop Māori-led advisory groups
  • Implement culturally appropriate training and development
  • Implement bilingual resources and offer culturally safe engagement and data protection practices
  • Provide infrastructure and resourcing (i.e cleaning stations) to support biosecurity at key water access points

This report serves as a foundational resource for DOC to refine its strategies and commitments under the Ngā Riha wai-Māori programme, advancing towards shared goals of biodiversity conservation and cultural revitalisation.

Case Studies

Shade Smith
Te Rarawa
Senior Environmental Analyst for Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated
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Mere Tamanui
Ngāti Patuwhare, Te Rawheoro, Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, Ngāriki Kaiputahi, Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Ngāti Porou
Poutaki Tāuteutetanga - Te Whakapae Ururoa, Director of Taniwha Connections
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William Anaru
Te Arawa, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Operations Manager for Biosecurity for Te Arawa Lakes Trust
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Harina Rupapera
Ngāti Rangitihi, Te Arawa
Biosecurity Officer for Te Arawa Iwi Lakes
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Matua Rereata Mākiha
Ngāpuhi, Te Arawa, Rangitāne
Maramataka Expert and Māori Astronomer
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Snow Tane
Te Roroa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua
General Manager at Te Roroa Development Group
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Dr Joanne Clapcott
Ngāti Porou
Ecologist and Team Leader (Freshwater Ecosystems) at Cawthron Institute
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Dr Jamie Ataria
Rongomaiwāhine, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Māori Business Development Consultant and Ecotoxicologist at Cawthron Institute
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Davina Merepeka Thompson

Ngāti Awa, Te Arawa
Previous Kaimahi for Te Arawa Lakes Trust

MEA acknowledges the work of Davina and her untimelypassing on the 1st of October 2024.

E te tūāhine, Moe mai i roto i te āhurutanga o tō tūpuna.

READ HER STORY

Weaving the Stories of Aotearoa’s Waterways Together

These interviews from across Aotearoa illuminate the unwavering dedication and deep connection that taiao advocates have with our waterways. Their insights highlight the urgent need to honor relationships, embrace diverse approaches, and provide meaningful support and resources to local kaitiaki.

Protecting and conserving our freshwater taonga for future generations requires a shift—one that builds upon the positive relationships DOC has established with mana whenua and tangata whenua while challenging and discarding what no longer serves our ecosystems.

Across every region, these voices call for a transformation in freshwater management, ensuring that mātauranga Māori and kaitiakitanga lead the way.

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