Keywords

Governance, tribal identity, transformations, resilience, futures, participation & justice, knowledge systems, cross-cultural research and management 

Brief Abstract

Tirohia he Huarahi: Plans, Power, and Partnerships looks at the barriers to, and benefits that could arise from, active participation of tangata whenua in the management of mahinga kai. A basic premise of the research is that traditional Māori resource management techniques – including their continued evolution – have much to offer national resource management practices.

Where communities have lived in a place for generations, they develop an in-depth understanding of the place, based primarily on their continued use and management of its resources. What happens when they are empowered to use this wisdom and knowledge in hands-on management of those resources? How can this empowerment be achieved? Our research examines these questions, focusing in particular on Māori participation in the management of coastal mahinga kai. The research is driven, in part, by tangata whenua concerns about their inability to prevent continued despoliation of mahinga kai, their desire to actively fulfil their kaitiakitanga responsibilities, and for a common desire to restore abundance.

Tirohia he Huarahi records the experiences and aspirations of the indigenous guardians of mahinga kai (traditional food-gathering areas). Their testimonies challenge accepted approaches to planning and resource management, and offer new perspectives on adaptive co-management. The project also critically examined the complex legal and institutional framework for devolving responsibility for management of resources to iwi and hapū, and the perspectives of those involved in developing and implementing the law. 

Links have also been forged across the Pacific Ocean to Canada, where team members Professor Fikret Berkes and Professor Nancy Turner have developed international reputations for their work with First Nations Peoples in resource management. Exchange visits between Canada and Aotearoa are a feature of the project.