He mātanga tahu ahi nō te iwi taketake o Ahitereiria e mea ana, ko ngā ahi tere iria ki ngā ngahere o taua whenua, he aituā kikino, ā e mārama ana te rongo i tana karanga kia tiaki, kia atawhai hoki i te taiao, i "tō tātou whaea".
Nō te Koori Country Firesticks Aboriginal Corporation a Den Barber. Hei tāna, “We might be happy to keep our houses and our properties but if we don't have our environment then we have nothing. I think this is where it needs to turn and shift, focusing on the very thing on what we call our mother."
E ai ki a ia, ki te kore e whakaaro pērā, he maiki roa kei te haere.
"We've undertaken to protect and look after her because if we don't she won't look after us and she's demonstrating that now and we are copping it.”
E hia miriona kararehe kua mate i ngā ahi ngahere, e hia miriona hoki e marara ana te rere i te whenua ki te kimi āhuru mōwai.
He kaipatu ahi o mua a Barber, he mātanga tikanga tahu ahi anō hoki. Hei tāna, he mate nui rawa atu ngā ahi.
“There's lots of roadkill because there are lots of animals coming out of the bush, certainly a lot more onto the roads, rural areas and even coming into the towns.
"It's bad enough that they are coming and looking for water in a time of drought but now they're being forced out of their natural habitat through wildfires. Those that aren't fortunate to get out of the habitat are being overrun by wildfire, and yes there are some graphic images coming out.”
Hei tā Barber kōrero anō, ko te ahi e ai ki te iwi moemoeā, he tohu o te ao mārama, o te mahana, o te manapou anō hoki, ā mā ngā āhuatanga pēnei, ka tino mārama te tirohanga atu.
“I believe their hands are tied, it's just too late. I believe this is all reactive management. It is costing an absolute fortune, no doubt billions and billions of dollars.”
Ehara i te mea, e mea ana te iwi tangata whenua o Ahitereiria kei a rātou ngā rongoā kia kore ai ēnei ahi, engari he huarahi ā rātou hei whai a ngā rā kei tua.
“People are disconnected and looking for a connection, fire is one way to do that and I certainly know that with enough backing from the government we could set up some programmes in schools and get them out in the bush, getting them to understand and appreciate the backbone and that becomes part of their being.”
Ki te whakatinanahia aua mātauranga, he mea nui kia manaakitia, kia atawhaingia e te iwi whānui, ā kia riro hoki mā ngā hapori iwi taketake ngā whakaakoranga e arataki.