Climate Connect Aotearoa Launches Initiative To Embed te Ao Māori In Climate Innovation | Scoop News
Climate Connect Aotearoa Launches Initiative To Embed te Ao Māori In Climate Innovation
Central knowledge hub to connect businesses,
communities and organisations with Māori-led climate
resources
Today, Climate Connect
Aotearoa, a hub for collaborative climate innovation, is
launching He Kete Mātauranga, a new
knowledge space dedicated to embedding te ao Māori within
climate discussions.
Translating as ‘basket of
knowledge’, He
Kete Mātauranga is a new hub within the Climate Connect
Aotearoa website containing information on Māori knowledge
systems and frameworks in relation to climate change. It
connects businesses, communities and organisations with
Māori-led climate resources to build capability, share
insights and support climate action in Tāmaki Makaurau
Auckland, as well as across Aotearoa New Zealand.
He
Kete Mātauranga will also assist non-Māori businesses and
organisations to explore and understand the value and
importance of the perspective of te ao Māori, the Māori
worldview, in their climate change response.
Climate Connect
Aotearoa was established by Tātaki Auckland Unlimited,
the region’s economic and cultural agency, on behalf of
Auckland Council in October 2022. Its mission is to help the
transition to a climate resilient and low carbon Tāmaki
Makaurau and Aotearoa. He Kete Mātauranga is one of the key
activities for Climate Connect Aotearoa and its launch
coincides with the unveiling of a full te reo Māori
translation of the entire Climate Connect Aotearoa
site.
Cornell Tukiri, Senior Māori Advisor at Tātaki
Auckland Unlimited says, “Climate change is creating
disproportionate challenges for Māori. This is linked to
complex issues facing Māori across four key domains —
environment, Māori enterprise, wellbeing and Māori
culture. Yet Māori hold knowledge and solutions for our
changing climate.”
“A key principle of te ao
Māori is interconnectedness. Climate change is an example
of the interrelated, interconnected world we live in. In te
ao Māori, we look to the past and benefit from traditional
knowledge passed down through generations. Understanding how
our ancestors interacted with the environment and responded
in times of adversity can guide how we respond to climate
change now, and into the future. The development of He Kete
Mātauranga is an important step to supporting this. It
recognises the value of mātauranga Māori in informing
climate mitigation and adaptation,” says Cornell
Tukiri.
Helen Te Hira, Director of Māori Outcomes at
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited says He Kete Mātauranga is an
exciting start to addressing the demand and need to grow
business capability in te ao Māori within climate
innovation.
“It’s important for businesses and
people to understand their role and relationship to te
taiao, the environment. The resources in He Kete Mātauranga
reflect a growing appreciation of the innovation and
adaptability that tāngata whenua have always had when it
comes to sustainability, innovation and kaitiakitanga, or
guardianship and protection.”
Pam Ford, Head of
Investment and Industry at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited says,
“The Māori business economy accounted for nine per cent
of the Tāmaki Makaurau economy in 2020. Any change in
climate that hinders access to whenua or traditionally
significant areas impacts interconnectedness and a growing
Māori economy.
“Weaving Māori values and knowledge
systems with climate solutions while deepening the
collective understanding of the Māori world view is a
transformative and important approach. It’s obvious that
proactive changes are needed to support Māori businesses to
enhance resilience — this is the basis for He Kete
Mātauranga,” says Pam Ford.
At launch, the He Kete
Mātauranga knowledge hub will include a series of three
video interviews with mātanga or experts in this space,
including a taiao and mātauranga Māori consultant and a
Māori business. These exemplars share experiences of
existing practices and businesses from a Māori perspective.
Experts include Dan Hikuroa, Earth Systems Scientist and
Associate Professor in Māori Studies at the University of
Auckland; Te Huia Taylor, Director of Paakaurua Consultants;
and Tama Toki of Aotea, a Māori business inspired by the
mātauranga of the founder’s iwi (Aotea Great Barrier
Island). Aotea consists of two entities, a skincare range
called Aotea Made, and the still-in-development clean energy
company, Aotea Energy.
Underpinning the development of
He Kete Mātauranga is a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Te Tiriti forms foundational principles in the mahi (work),
namely the active protection of taonga or highly prized
possessions (tangible or intangible) and the protection of
Māori spiritual practices.
To access the new He Kete
Mātauranga space, please visit climateconnectnz.com/learn/he-kete-matauranga
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