The reconnection between mana whenua and urban freshwaters to restore the mouri / life force of the Kaiwharawhara

Kei Aotearoa nei kua roa noa atu ngā tāngata taketake e noho matapopore ana ki o rātou whenua, maunga, moana, roto, awa, kūkūwai me ērā atu pūnaha hauropi wai Māori hoki. I te tau 2017 i tīmatahia e Te Māra a Tāne he kaupapa haere-kōtui i te taha o te iwi manawhenua a Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika, me ētahi atu hoa haere-kōtui hoki, me kore ake pea ka whakahoungia te hauropi wai Māori, ngahere hoki o te awa Kaiwharawhara me tōna rohenga wai. Ko tēnei te rohenga wai tino nui rawa i roto i te taone matua o Te Whanganui-a-Tara, ā, he mea kairangi tonu ki te iwi, ki te ao hauropi hoki. Ko te moemoeā mō tēnei kaupapa e pēnei ana: “kia ora mai ano te mouri o te Kaiwharawhara”. Kei tēnei whakaputanga ka tirohia nga tūkanga matua, ngā wero me ngā mea angitu hoki i puaki mai i te wā ka tīmatahia tēnei kaupapa e Te Māra a Tāne. Kei ia hoa haere kōtui tōna ake tirohanga, engari kotahi tonu te whāinga – kia tautoko te hono mai anō te iwi manawhenua ki tōna rohe. Arā ētahi kaupapa mahi i maea ake hei āwhina kia whakatutukingia tēnei whāinga. Hei tauira: (1) ko ngā rangi whānau i whakaritea kia taki haere mai te whānau o Taranaki Whānui ki Te Māra a Tāne; (2) ko te whakawhitinga o ētahi kākahi mai i Parangarahu me Wairarapa Moana ki te Roto Mahanga kei Te Māra a Tāne. I haere ngātahi te mātauranga me te pūtaiao i te wa ka whakawhitihia ngā kākahi nei. Nā tēnei kaupapa i whai wāhi mai ngā reanga katoa, tamariki mai, pakeke mai, me te aha ka whakatakotohia he tūāpapa mō te mahitahi i waenga i te iwi me Te Māra a Tāne. Kei te haere tonu tēnei kaupapa. Ka mutu ko taua tūāpapa i whakatūngia i runga i nga whāinga i whanake ngātahitia, i runga anō hoki i te whakaute mō ngā momo pūnaha mātauranga maha noa atu.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, Maori have long held close connections with their lands, mountains, seas, lakes, rivers, wetlands and other freshwater ecosystems. In 2017, Zealandia ecosanctuary based in Wellington partnered with the Maori organisation Taranaki Whānui ki Te Ūpoko o Te Ika, alongside several others, to restore native freshwater and forest ecosystems of the Kaiwharawhara Stream catchment. The Kaiwharawhara is the largest catchment in the city of Wellington, and despite urbanisation in surrounding areas it has high ecological and cultural values. The vision for the ‘Sanctuary to Sea’ initiative is that the life force of the Kaiwharawhara is healed, “Kia Mouriora te Kaiwharawhara”. We examine the key steps, challenges and opportunities that have emerged from this project. The individual perspectives of project partners highlight a common objective: supporting iwi to reconnect with the land and water. Initiatives which help achieve this objective have included whānau days and the reintroduction of a mahinga kai species. Matauranga Maori and western science together informed the translocation of kakahi/freshwater mussels (Echyridella menziesii and E. aucklandica) into Roto Mahanga, Zealandia upper lake. This initiative provided a foundation for whānau engagement across ages, setting the scene for long-term collaboration. We discuss the ongoing project, the co-developed objectives and goals on which it is founded, and the development of open and collaborative partnerships that respect diverse knowledge systems.