Ngā puāwaitanga - Outcomes
How Taiao Manawa Ora was implemented
Knowledge into Action for te Taiao
Informing future land uses to increase the vitality of te taiao
1. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is foundational to the design of place-based initiatives
Through Revitalise te Taiao we attended a Te Tiriti o Waitangi wānanga hosted by Te Kahui Rau whānau and hapū members of Ngāti Tawhirikura in Taranaki. We got to learn directly from mana whenua of the intergenerational impact of colonisation, land confiscations, and their journey of hope in healing the whenua and healing the people.
The realisation for us is that within our own community of Wānaka we have so much more to learn and understand.
To strengthen our pathways of engagement with tangata whenua our staff have enthusiastically participated in a 10 week te reo Māori course, a series of workshops and training on local history, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and how to be a good treaty partner.
We have mutually agreed on communication channels with the seven Papatipu rūnaka in the Upper Lakes through their environmental agencies Aukaha and Te Ao Marama Inc.
2. Te taiao as a basis for change
The Wānaka Way (trusted relationships, tools, and knowledge) provide the pathway for interconnected solutions, which is te taiao as a basis of change.
Developing interconnected solutions for te taiao takes time and resources to establish the necessary partnership and trust.
Starting with te taiao factors in the environment in which we live, our impact, and our wellbeing that is associated with it.
3. Respecting all knowledges
Valuing different knowledge systems, experience, technologies and perspectives is an outcome of the trusted relationships developed within our communities – including councils, research organisations and universities.
The power of this expertise is only realised when local landowner knowledge is added to create local solutions for local issues.
Catchment communities are the vehicle for combining and respecting these knowledges, applying local knowledge to create place-based solutions.
4. Tikanga and values
Taking a whole of community approach requires identifying shared values – across tangata whenua and tangata tiriti – rural, urban and tourism communities.
Early in the project we ran a values session with the Revitalise Te Taiao team and identified shared values across Taiao Manawa Ora and WAI Wānaka.
5. People and community-led change
A ground up approach to community-led behavior change is in the DNA of WAI Wānaka.
Through Knowledge into Action for Te Taiao we have continued working with rural action groups, taking the social science and experience in the rural sector to town with the organisation and facilitation of urban action groups.
While urban neighborhoods may differ from rural catchments, in Wānaka they have united around their urban streams also known as drains that run directly into the lake.
6. People and place – a sense of place, belonging, and wellbeing
People’s connection to the Upper Clutha varies widely from tangata whenua, to tangata Tiriti, generational farmers, to new residents, to tourists. The taiao in Wānaka, the natural beauty of maunga, roto, and awa have an instant effect on most.
A catchment health report has been developed to show how people and place are interconnected, what the current state is and how people can get involved to help protect te taiao in the Upper Clutha. Community collaboration between social welfare organisations, environmental organisations, tourism and district and regional councils is underway.
7. Collaboration and participation
Collaboration and participation are critical to successful community-led change.
Uniting for native biodiversity in the Upper Clutha is a community-led strategy for the indigenous biodiversity of our basin. This brought together 35 different groups and organisations working in this space including local and district councils, not-for-profit environmental groups, tourism and industry.
Interconnected solutions are required for complex challenges such as biodiversity loss and climate change.
8. Leadership and management (mana rangatira/mana whakahaere)
Leadership is required to create and maintain momentum and bring out the knowledge, experience, and perspectives of other participants.
We are upskilling the team, bringing in interns, and supporting science developing leaders of the future.
With funding from Weave, MPI, and Knowledge into Action for Te Taiao, WAI Wānaka has been able to support the development of the NZ Catchment Community (NZCC) leading to a united voice for catchment communities to support enduring impact across Aotearoa-New Zealand.
9. Broader measures of success
Knowledge into Action for Te Taiao are using a te taiao approach leading to collaborative and interconnected solutions. Landowners within the Upper Clutha are currently exploring diversified land use options where each are assessed across criteria including financial, environmental, wellbeing, and community impact. Supporting landowners to implement change and measure success across these indicators is provided within the programme.
10. Interconnected solutions
Interconnected solutions for the Upper Clutha span the whole basin and the whole community factoring in social, economic, and environmental solutions.
Complex challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater quality are interconnected – so the solutions must be too.
11. Access to resources
Knowledge into Action for Te Taiao has strengthened connections between the Upper Clutha community and leading knowledge, research, and expertise from across Aotearoa to develop resources for delivering interconnected solutions for landowners. This includes teaching tools for on-farm biodiversity monitoring, spatial mapping using physiographics, and support to carry out integrated farm planning.