Kaipupuri taonga
ki te ao whānui
The taonga we stand for everywhere with everyone
A framework for te taiao from the Mauri Tūhono ki Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui working group
© Danny Rood, Truestock
Night Sky over Castle Point, Wairarapa
He karanga ki te hunga e ngākaunui ana i te taiao
A call to all who care for the natural treasures of the Wellington region
To everyone, everywhere, of Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui.
From Ranginui and Papatūānuku and flowing down through the domains of their many children, mauri sustains all things.
© Stewart Watson
Stream winding through native bush in Tararua Range
Let’s affirm our heartfelt connection to te taiao.
Let’s acknowledge we are teina within te taiao, and live under the protection of all our tuākana.
Let’s celebrate how our identities are intertwined with their places and rhythms.
© Jason Gunn Burton
Fern koru in Zealandia
We all have gifts we can offer to the task of caring for te taiao.
Let’s open the doors to listen to one another.
Let’s honour Te Tiriti, which underpins our relationships to this land and to each other.
Let’s recognise the special place of the iwi of this land in caring for our taiao as rangatira and kaitiaki.
© Manaaki Barrett
Tūī at Kapiti Island
We call upon all the expertise, skills and gifts we bring to this task. He Mauri Tūhono!
Let’s pool our collective aspirations, knowledge and resources for a shared legacy.
Let’s intertwine our restoration efforts together to weave a korowai.
So that the mauri of te taiao will be sustained for all.
He Mauri Tūhono!
© Rob Suisted
Zealandia and Wellington City from air
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.
He mihi nunui.
Welcome!
We are the Mauri Tūhono ki Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui Working Group – a diverse group of thinkers and doers, who answered a challenge from Greater Wellington, alongside mana whenua and the Department of Conservation, to develop a framework to transform how we relate to te taiao across the Wellington region, originally known as Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui.
Who are we?
A framework for caring for te taiao in the Wellington region
We have created a framework - we call it Kaipupuri taonga ki te ao whānui which means ‘the taonga we stand for everywhere with everyone’. A framework helps unite people. We see a framework as a set of values and ideas that can help people see how they contribute to a bigger picture, not a set of instructions that tells others what to do.
Why do we need this framework? We know that te taiao of Te Upoko o te Ika holds us together, supports our wellbeing and our livelihoods, inspires us and is full of so many special places and species. We also know it has suffered from decades of damage and neglect. There are many species and ecosystems that are only just hanging on, and so many more that could be thriving with help and protection. At the same time, there is huge enthusiasm and determination within Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui to restore te taiao, from iwi and hapū, community groups, landowners, places of study, non-government organisations, businesses, and government agencies to name a few.
This effort needs a common vision and a pathway to bring it to life. So, we have created Kaipupuri taonga ki te ao whānui as a korowai – a finely-woven cloak, weaving together our intentions and mahi to nurture and protect te taiao.
The framework consists of these elements:
A vision for the region
A story of where we are now
Seven intertwining strands of transformation
“Ideas” for action to make these shifts happen
We invite you to be part of
this movement
We see a future in Mauri Tūhono as a regional movement for biodiversity, for everyone across Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui.
There are more voices in our region who need to be heard and this is why you are essential!