Ngahere, kauri dieback, myrtle rust and Māori stewardship

Abstract

What can it mean to approach the protection and enhancement of native ngahere (forests) in Aotearoa/New Zealand through Māori perspectives of care? This presentation will reflect on the four-year national research project Mobilizing for Action under Ngā Rakau Taketake where in addition to other initiatives, we have engaged and researched with Māori communities, artists, iwi/hapū (tribes/subtribes) around the human dimensions of the plant pathogens kauri dieback and myrtle rust. It is widely considered a number of native tree species are at risk of extinction due to these diseases. Decolonising Māori approaches to stewardship and care will be considered in this issue, particularly in relation to kaitiakitanga (that has many definitions, including but not limited to guardianship that is iwi/hapū assigned), rāhui (controls on access to areas by designated iwi/hapū) and Rongoā (Māori medicine). This presentation will also view this through Māori ontologies, including Teina Bosna-Dean and Juhi Shareef’s concept of Māori Doughnut Economics (2020) and how we Māori see ourselves as being in relation to the world we live in. Case studies will be drawn from iwi/hapū and Moari community connected projects, conservation efforts, gardens and art projects.