Otawa upoko ki te Rangi

Te Kapu O Waitaha is the Post Treaty Settlement Trust (PSGE) mandated by Waitaha to hold and manage the Settlement redress assets under the Waitaha Treaty Settlement Claims ACT 2013.

The Trust is currently governed by 5 Trustees and has operations and service delivery employees.

The Trust has a Taiao unit consisting of 2 Pou ārahi (manages conservation and resource management projects) and 4 Pou kaitiaki (water monitoring, restoration, pest control and tohu/mauri observation)

Bio-Heritage projects with Te Whakahononga: An approach that elevates mana whenua into Aotearoa science and biosecurity systems

Te Whakahononga is based on an authentic empowerment of mana whenua and their communities through strong investment in Māori centered research which informed both Mātauranga Māori derived solutions and Western based research aimed at enhancing native biodiversity resilience and protecting taonga species from plant pathogens.

Te Kapu o Waitaha Taiao unit began working with Te Whakahononga in 2022 on Otawa. The project is about the inheritance and preservation of the balanced functionality of Taane, with special care through monitoring of natural habitat and taonga species within those ecosystems. Monitoring is based on our Māori luna systems , seasons, and natures tohu. This opportunity enables us to build our own understanding of the health status of all life on Otawa.

With every relationship and project comes the extension of our own maatauranga knowledge, growing technical expertise, data analysis of our ngahere, and the implementation of whakairinga korero. Our kaimahi have developed GIS mapping skills, use of Safety APP, scientific terminology, rakau identification, maramataka monitoring tools, tohu, habitat, and ecology systems.

Te Kapu o Waitaha kaitiaki worked with western scientists to better understand pathogens, and applying both science and matauranga Māori informed solutions for biosecurity surveillance and monitoring as well as solutions to protect taonga kauri and native myrtles. Novel technologies and approaches were adopted by mana whenua, who used intergenerational knowledge of taonga and ngahere, were trained to deploy and test to improve surveillance and monitoring methods. The knowledge and resources gained through Te Whakahononga informed a wealth of knowledge to combat biosecurity threats and incursions.

A Te Tiriti centric approach, Te Whakahononga has advanced the protection and survival of taonga species as well as building a successful framework and elevating Māori capability across Aotearoa science and biosecurity systems, transforming the way Mātauranga Māori and Western science partner together both now and for generations to come.

Mihi ki Te Whakahononga me Ngā Rakau Taketake - Cecilia Arienti, Carlton Bidios, Waitangi Wood Te Kapu Ō Waitaha - Vivivenne Robinson, Mokoera Te Amo, Ben Marr

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