A new website dedicated to embedding te ao Māori within climate discussions has been launched today.
Climate Connect Aotearoa, a collaborative hub of climate innovation, initially established by Auckland Council entity Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, has created He Kete Mātauranga, bringing together businesses, communities and organisations with Māori-led climate resources to build capabilities and support climate action in Tāmaki Makaurau and across Aotearoa.
Tātaki Auckland Unlimited senior Maori advisor Cornell Tukiri 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.”
He Kete Mātauranga will feature a video series with academics, experts, business operators and mātanga Māori who have experience and a deep understanding of climate change and working with the environment to find solutions to the crisis. Experts include University of Auckland earth systems scientist and Māori studies associate professor Dan Hikuroa ; Paakaurua Consultants director Te Huia Taylor; and Tama Toki, the founder of Aotea, a company that consists of two entities, a skincare range called Aotea Made, and the still-in-development clean energy company, Aotea Energy.
Despite Covid-19, the Māori economy accounted for nine per cent of the Tāmaki Makaurau economy in 2020. Tātaki Auckland’s Pam Ford says climate change will have an impact on both the Māori economy and the connection Māori have with the environment.
“Weaving Māori values and knowledge systems with climate solutions while deepening the collective understanding of the Māori worldview 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,” Ford said.
