The Mauri Tūhono ki
Te Upoko o Te Ika a
Māui working group

© Leon Berard
Moko Kākāriki at Mana Island

He karakia tīmatanga

Our opening invocation

Tukua te wairua, kia rere
Tukua te mauri, ka oho
Ruruku ki a Ranginui
Ruruku ki a Papatūānuku
Ko tēnei te rangi ka ū
Ko tēnei te rangi ka mau
Ko tēnei te rangi ka ruruku
Ko ēnei tauira o te whenua ki te rangi
I te Taiao ki te Arorangi, i rukutia noa atu
Tūturu o whiti whakamaua kia tina! Tina!
Haumi e! Hui e! Taiki e!

Send forth the spiritual essence, so it flows
Send forth the vital life essence, to awaken
Bound together to the sky above
Bound together to the earth below
This is the day, to be sustained
This is the day, to seize hold of
This is the day, to be bound together
These examples are of the land and sky
From the environment to the universal domains
That weave us together, from long ago
Steadfast as a shining light, to behold and be fixed!
Affirmed! By us gathered here! And so it is!

Nā Sharlene Maoate-Davis 2022

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

He mihi nunui.

Welcome!

Who are we?

  • We are the Mauri Tūhono ki Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui Working Group.

  • We are a diverse group of thinkers and doers, who answered a challenge from Greater Wellington, alongside mana whenua and the Department of Conservation, to propose a framework to transform how we relate to te taiao across the Wellington Region, originally known as Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui.

  • We have worked hard to pool our wide-ranging experience, knowledge and connections.

  • Through our many connections we have considered a diverse range of views and information from outside our group.

Meet the members

  • Ngāti Wehiwehi, Ngāti Huia, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngai Tahu, Taranaki, Te Ātiawa

    Sharlene has been working as a Maori consultant and facilitator since 2002. Sharlene has worked across sectors in Iwi and Māori health, education and social services providing professional development services as a cultural supervisor and training whānau, hapū, iwi and community practitioners.

    Born in her tribal home of Kāpiti, Sharlene is an experienced Pou Rongoā - Rongoā practitioner. She is one of three founding members, of the Rongoā Collective of the A.R.T. Confederation who have over 30 qualified Kairongoā delivering services, events and workshops throughout the greater Wellington region, Horowhenua to Manawatu. The Collective are actively involved in Rongoā/ Taiao based, Iwi partnership projects throughout the region.

    As co-chair, Sharlene is committed to embedding mātauranga and tikanga-a-iwi in the approaches and practices being implemented throughout the development and implementation of the biodiversity framework. She especially looks forward to the collaborative nature of this region-wide project, and the potential to leave an indelible imprint for the generations to come. Sharlene is involved as an Iwi representative on Taiao projects such as Waikanae ki Uta ki Tai and Kāpiti Whaitua.

  • Ko Maungaraki taku maunga

    Ko Ruamahanga taku awa

    Ko Wairarapa taku moana

    Ko Kourarau taku roto

    Ko Makahakaha taku manga

    Ko Wairakau taku puna

    Ko Parikauiti taku taniwha

    Ho Hurunui-o-Rangi taku marae

    Rawiri Smith is from the Wairarapa. He applied to be on the Biodiversity Collaborative Working Group because our community has valued the iwi perspective. He brings experience in collaborative processes from the Ruamahanga Whaitua. He was an iwi representative on that group and enjoyed how this perspective connected with other viewpoints.

  • Paul Blaschke is an independent environmental consultant and researcher. He was born in Wellington City, where he still lives and is active in several local restoration and community groups in the southern suburbs. After training and first working in ecological survey and research, Paul has a long and varied experience in environmental policy, planning and management in the public and private sectors. He worked on the first New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy and many aspects of conservation, biodiversity and sustainable land management policies, and now is most active in climate change adaptation research and applied urban ecology and restoration. Until recently Paul taught environmental studies at Te Herenga Victoria University of Wellington and environmental health to public health students.

    Paul comments: "I'm excited to be working with our co-chairs Sharlene and Ra, and all the members of the Working Group. Between us we have many years of working experience, science and mātauranga knowledge over all parts of our environment. I think we can play an important role joining up the biodiversity effort around the whole region, and integrating biodiversity thinking into all aspects of the society-wide response needed to address the urgent climate change and other environmental issues facing us”.

  • Zoe grew up in Ngaio, and now lives in Titahi Bay. Her passion is connecting people to the environment, and she does that daily in her work primarily with young people and community. She thinks Wellington is in a great position to lead a change in the way we think and act in, with and for our environment. Her hope is this group will take some big steps forwards with this work.

    Zoe’s work and studies have always been connected to the marine environment - firstly as a dive instructor in Kaikoura and Samoa, and through her studies in marine environmental science in Australia. This led to work with the Ministry for the Environment on Oceans Policy and Climate Change, and then with the Victorian Government on a large scale marine mapping project. She took a career side path into education in 2010 and worked briefly as a classroom teacher - but quickly moved into outdoor environmental education, and for the better part of the past 13 years has managed and delivered marine and freshwater education programmes, restoration support and citizen science endeavours.

    She is the Co-Founder and Director of the Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust, which works to connect people to te taiao across the greater Wellington region, working with schools, community and many other partner organisations.

    Since 2020 she has also led the Love Rimurimu project which aims to help regenerate Wellington's underwater seaweed forests.

  • Daniela is passionate about collaborating for nature. She works as the Urban Ecology Manager at Wellington City Council and is looking forwards to the changes implementing this framework can bring. Originally from Argentina, Daniela has called Te Whanaganui a Tara home since 2014. Daniela holds an MSc Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution and experience delivering community conservation, conservation communications, project management, strategic development and evaluation for the betterment of people and nature.

  • Ko Rangitūmau te maunga

    Ko Ruamāhanga te awa

    Ko Mākoura te manga

    Ko Wairarapa moana te roto

    Ko Kahungunu ki Wairarapa te iwi whāngai

    Ko Sam Hamuera Ludden tōku ingoa.

    My whānau and I grew up amongst the people of Ngati Haamua and Ngai Tūmapahia-ā-rangi in the rivers, streams and moana of Wairarapa. My life has been inspired by rivercapes and waterscapes of Wairarapa and around the world. Mai uta ki tai.

    I was a full time ceramic artist for 15 years, with much of my time spent in my workshop and in environmental education. Most people knew my love for making my tuna sculpture. A month after I joined Mauri Tūhono I was asked by GW to help them empower their partnerships with iwi in the Wellington region and explore the value of ‘mahinga kai’ as a catchment management method in the Wairarapa. From my work with GW I moved to te rūnanga ā Kahungunu ki Wairarapa iwi as Kaitiaki Taiao Officer in the KKW Taiao Team.

    My aspiration in this space is to see indigenous knowledge used as legitimate methods to manage catchments and to see native plantings replace exotic plants for flood management and hill country erosion.

  • Andy was born in West Auckland, but grew up mostly in New Plymouth. He currently lives in Paekākāriki.

    Andy is an ecologist and has been involved in community conservation projects for almost 20 years. He is currently the convener for Ngā Uruora - Kāpiti Project, on the committee for the Kāpiti Coast Biodiversity Project, part of Predator Free Paekākāreiki and part of the Wainuiwhenua Working Group. Andy works for the Kāpiti Coast District Council as Team Leader - Environment and Ecological Services.

    He joined the working group as he is interested in contributing to a framework that leads to better biodiversity outcomes, better support for community-based conservation projects, opportunities to share knowledge and resources, and a commitment to finding ways to work better as a Treaty partner.

  • Steve was also born in West Auckland but has been a Wellingtonian for 30 year. He is a Community Ranger and River Rangerwith DOC’s Kāpiti Wellington District, based at Kenepuru. His work is mostly Kāpiti based, and includes Waikanae ki Uta ki Tai (mountains to sea) restoration and Jobs for Nature projects. That work has been driven by the power of helping people and agencies work together for Nature from across the district. Mauri Tūhono expands that kaupapa across the region, offering much greater potential. Steve represents DOC as a partner in Mauri Tūhono, including its role in Te Mana o te Taiao, the National Biodiversity Strategy.

  • “It’s a pleasure and a privilege to be working with this group as the Greater Wellington Regional Council representative.”

    Ali believes in the kaupapa that has brought the group together and brings a genuine commitment to collaborative process, partnership and learning.

    Ali was born and raised in Te Whanagnui a Tara (Wellington) and returned here in her late twenties after spending almost ten years exploring Te Waipounamu (the South Island). Her feeling of connection here is strong, both to the harbour’s edge where she lived as a child and the regenerating bushy hills where she now lives in the city with her partner and two kids.

    Since studying environmental science and environmental management, Ali has been working at GW for around ten years. She is continually inspired by the people, ecosystems and landscapes of Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui, our wonderful region.

  • Te Raukura is a descendant of Toa Rangatira, Awanuiārangi and Raukawa.

    Brought up in Pōneke and on the Kapiti Coast, she has been raised in a family who have both lived off the land and waters of their rohe and also actively practiced and maintained their ahi kā and kaitiakitanga there for more than 200 years.

    She has a background in law with a focus on Te Tiriti and the environment, and currently works as Kaimanaaki Awa for Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, working on waterway remediation.

    For Te Raukura, participating in the work of Mauri Tūhono is a way to continue to care for te taiao in accordance with the values instilled in her by her whānau and tūpuna, for the benefit of the generations to come.

Background

Terms of reference

Kokako at Kapiti Island

© Manaaki Barrett
Kōkako at Kapiti Island

Kei ngā manukura, tēnā koutou

Thank you

Sincere gratitude and heartfelt thanks to everyone who has brought this project to this point.

We acknowledge the resilience, determination and passion of all those who have contributed along this first part of the journey.

He Karakia Whakamutunga

Our closing affirmation

Mā te kura taiao

Tēnei kura nui, tēnei kura roa
Kia horahia te mauri ora ki runga i te mata o te whenua
Ka rongo te pō, ka rongo te ao
Whiti, whiti, tau mai te mauri
Haumi e! Hui e! Taiki e!

It is through the determination of the taiao
That this all-encompassing and enduring
Living lifeforce be far reaching across the landscape
Resounding through the night and day
Enlighten and bring forth balance
Gathering people together, as one.

Nā Sharlene Maoate-Davis 2022

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.