Patricia Waugh (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Mākino, Ngāti Rongomai) discusses Māori-led initiatives as anchors of resilience.

Tikanga Māori governs the relationships that Māori have with the taiao. Rights and obligations of tāngata whenua are anchored in whanaungatanga, reaching from past to present to future.^[1] Our actions in caring for and nourishing the mana and mauri of whenua and wai are our contributions to the knowledge system of our tūpuna—mātauranga Māori.^[2] This article showcases four examples from Te Ika ā-Māui where Māori-led initiatives anchored in tikanga and mātauranga Māori are illustrating resilience and sustainability in a time of deep concern for environmental rights.

The Waitangi Tribunal has identified time and again that the resource management system, as it currently stands, is inadequate to truly provide for the rights and interests of Māori.^[3] Systemic barriers hinder the ability for Māori to actively participate in resource management with under-resourcing being the most chronic.^[4] Additionally, we are facing a biodiversity crisis with our species and ecosystems in a state of decline.^[5] In a changing climate where the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are only increasing, research shows that Māori living in low socio-economic areas are some of the most vulnerable, and are disproportionately affected.^[6] This is the reality we face.

So far, this term of government has introduced numerous policy and legislative reforms that will prioritise property rights and economic development over the taiao.^[7] Fast-track legislation has arrived to ‘streamline’ the decision-making process but in doing so has side-tracked important and necessary protections for Papatūānuku.^[8] Funding has been stopped for many effective environmental initiatives across Aotearoa, including the recently announced disestablishment of Predator Free 2050.^[9] These reforms limit Māori rights and interests by making it more difficult for Māori input and participation, further perpetuating breaches by the Crown.

In these challenging times, where should we look to for guidance and wisdom? We look to those nurturing the taiao by grounding their mahi in tikanga and mātauranga Māori. The groups of whānau, hapū, and iwi who are achieving tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake by living sustainably and ensuring longevity of whānau and whenua. No matter who is in Government or what legislation is in place, as tangata whenua, our inherent obligations and rights as kaitiaki are ever enduring. The following case studies within the realm of Parawhenuamea and Tangaroa embody He toka tū moana.

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa

In the eastern Bay of Plenty, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa, under the guidance of Professor Kura Paul-Burke, have successfully restored kuku populations in the Ōhiwa Harbour using a restoration programme founded in mātauranga Māori.^[10] Kuku have been a key resource to the local iwi and are seen as a taonga but over recent decades their populations had plummeted. This project heavily draws on mātauranga-a-iwi with input from kaumātua familiar with the area, and tohunga weavers who created natural lines for kuku to grow.^[11] Additionally, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Awa have placed a rāhui called Te Rāhui Kuku ki Tua o Kanawa to restrict the harvesting of kuku while they develop and mature.^[12] After years of decline, this mātauranga-led restoration project has enabled the species to thrive with numbers now in the millions.

Ngāti Rangiwewehi

Wai māori is the source of life. It is essential for a flourishing and healthy environment. Following the return of the Taniwha Springs, Ngāti Rangiwewehi have developed what they describe as a ‘kaitiaki flow’ over springs which feed the Ngongotahā municipal water supply.^[13] Within their particular context, this flow represents a “minimum mainstem flow that is 90% of daily mean naturalised flow in the Awahou Stream”.^[14] Combining mātauranga-ā-iwi and western science, this flow embodies iwi values and enables the retention and protection of the health and wellbeing of the waterway while providing for the Ngongotahā community. This development by Ngāti Rangiwewehi is a testament to our role as kaitiaki, providing inspiration for others in the water management space.

Ngāi Takoto

In Te Hiku o te Ika, Ngāi Takoto are exercising tino rangatiratanga and demonstrating how effective restoration can rebalance the mauri of wai māori. To the iwi, Lake Ngātu is a wāhi tapu of great cultural and environmental significance. As a dune lake it provides an abundance of resources for kai (food), rongoā (medicine) and raranga (weaving).^[15] The iwi have banned power boats, successfully undertaken invasive pest management, and planted thousands of trees.^[16] Informed by iwi values and principles, their actions focus on reclaiming the land and rewriting the surrounding narrative.^[17] Ngāi Takoto are honouring their inherent obligations and further contributing to their mātauranga-a-iwi for the betterment of the current and future generations.

Wai Manawa Whenua

More recently, Wai Manawa Whenua, a collective of Māori landowners, hapū and iwi, are fighting to protect the mauri of wai māori. In June 2025, they filed proceedings in the High Court against the Crown; the Collective cited increasing degradation of our ecosystems, current proposals to ‘rebalance Te Mana o te Wai’,^[18] and the Crown’s continued failure to uphold Māori rights and interests in wai māori. Wai Manawa Whenua are seeking urgent action to halt the degradation and restore the health of wai māori, adequately provide for Māori rights and interests, and establish a fair and durable allocation system.^[19] Driving this claim is “the health of our water, our whenua, and generations to come”.^[20]

Conclusion

Tikanga Māori governs and shapes our interactions with whenua, wai, and with each other. Tāngata whenua have the right and obligation to practice tikanga and by caring for and nurturing the taiao they are achieving tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake. These four examples illustrate how we can be resilient as Māori during challenging times. Alongside this, there are numerous rōpū who are actively building resilience and self-sufficiency, providing inspiration and wisdom across Aotearoa. It is important to remember that whānau, hapū and iwi have, and continue to, care for the taiao and enact tikanga and mātauranga Māori in any way that they can—he toka tū moana, he akinga nā ngā tai.

Ngā kupu āpiti - Notes

^[1] Joseph Williams “The Treaty of Waitangi and whānau, hapū and iwi wellbeing” (paper presented at Te Ritorito, Wellington, April 2017).

^[2] Hirini Moko Mead Mātauranga Māori (1st ed, Huia Publishers, London, 2025) at 67.

^[3] Waitangi Tribunal The Stage 2 Report on The National Freshwater and Geothermal Resources Claims (Wai 2358, 2019) at xxi.

^[4] At xxi.

^[5] Department of Conservation Biodiversity in Aotearoa: an overview of state, trends and pressures (August 2020).

^[6] EHINZ Social vulnerability to the impacts of climate-related hazards in Aotearoa New Zealand (2024) Wellington: Environmental Health Intelligence New Zealand.

^[7] Russell Palmer “Sweeping RMA changes for housing, freshwater, infrastructure rules proposed” RNZ (online ed, 29 May 2025).

^[8] “Fast-track law will ‘undermine environmental protection’ - opposition” RNZ (online ed, 7 March 2024).

^[9] Amanda Gillies “A bold dream gets a cut as Predator Free 2050 Ltd is disestablished” RNZ (online, 12 June 2025).

^[10] The University of Waikato “Ōhiwa Harbour’s mussel restoration efforts flourishing” (2 April 2025) <www.waikato.ac.nz>.

^[11] Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge “Traditional kuku (mussel) bed comes back to life in Ōhiwa Harbour thanks to mātauranga-led research project” (4 October 2023) <www.sustainableseaschallenge.co.nz>.

^[12] Bay of Plenty Regional Council “Two-year rāhui over western kuku beds” (21 November 2024) Ohiwa Harbour <www.ohiwaharbour.co.nz>.

^[13] Paul White and others “Kaitiaki flow and management regime in the spring-fed Awahou Stream, Lake Rotorua” (2020) 59 New Zealand Hydrological Society 63.

^[14] At 63.

^[15] Yvonne Taura, Cheri van Schravendijk-Goodman, Beverley Clarkson (eds) Te Reo o Te Repo - Kei Konei Tonu Au: The Voice of The Wetland - I Am Still Here (Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research, Hamilton, 2021).

^[16] Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Takoto Annual NgāiTakoto Management Report 2016 - 2017 at 23; Northland Regional Council “Freshwater Improvement Fund helps eradicate aggressive aquatic weed” (30 November 2020) <www.nrc.govt.nz>.

^[17] Kennedy Warne “Eyes in the Land” New Zealand Geographic (online ed, December 2020).

^[18] Ministry for the Environment Package 3: Freshwater - Discussion document (May 2025) ME 1897.

^[19] Federation of Māori Authorities “Wai Manawa Whenua” (2025) <www.foma.org.nz>.

^[20] Federation of Māori Authorities, above n 19.

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