Extra links for the extra curious: How do we live in harmony with te taiao?

Go down amazing wormholes with this curated suite of links.

  • Matariki and Te Taiao – Te Papa hosted a live-stream deep dive with experts in their field on mātauranga Māori, Matariki and Te Papa’s living world collections. Watch Dr Rangi Matamua, Francene Wineti (37:24), Tame Malcolm (1:17:48) and Puke Timoti (1:57:40) present in relation to some of the taonga Te Papa cares for. 

  • The Uawanui Project – check out this example  of community supporting Te Aitangaa Hauiti in regenerating landscape to improve the environmental health of the Kaituna Estuary.

  • Building Indigenous Food Sovereignty with the Hua Parakore Organic Framework – This documentary provides an insight into Hua Parakore. Hua Parakore was established by Te Waka Kai Ora, the National Māori Organic Authority. It provides a framework using indigenous values for producing natural food. This documentary is from the perspective of one of its most knowledgeable practitioners, Dr Jessica Hutchings (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Huirapa, Gujarat).

  • Tihei Taiao – a new series that focuses on different tipu in te taiao. They explore what tīpuna used them for, their kai or rongoā uses and how to identify them. Three kaitiaki share their taiao knowledge – Riki Bennett, Graeme Atkins, and Tame Malcolm, Read a blog from Te Papa about rongoā as well.

  • Māori potatoes – Taewa (or rīwai) is a collective name for the varieties of potatoes cultivated by Māori, learn more about each of them here.

  • Indigenous 100 – Episode 8 – Dr Rangi Matamua – In 2022, Professor Rangi Matamua became known as “the man behind Matariki” – appointed as chief advisor to the government on the Māori New Year and in 2023 was named Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year. Take a deep dive with him as he speaks about his motivations and aspirations for celebrating Matariki and the maramataka in Aotearoa.

  • Toitū te whenua – Environmental advocate Geoff Reid talks with kaumātua and industry leaders in the Bay of Plenty and Lakes District about the urgent need for changes to safeguard living systems and human health.

  • The meaning of kaitiaki, te ao tūroa and whenua – listen to Te Rerekohu Tuterangiwhiu speak about the etymology of some often used words in sustainability and the way in which Tauiwi can understand these  concepts more fully.  Lecture starts at 45:17.