Climate change and impacts on biodiversity

Māuiui taiao māuiui tangata, oranga taiao oranga tangata – if the environment is sick, people are sick, if the environment is healthy, people are healthy.

Embedded within mātauranga Māori is the principle that what affects individual parts affects the whole system, and this is clear when looking at the impacts of climate change on the environment.

Climate change threatens the loss of culturally significant land and taonga species. Iwi Māori have values stemming from tikanga and mātauranga that enable the preservation of flora and fauna. Mahinga kai is one such value that not only reflects the health and wellbeing of different environments but is connected to the health and wellbeing of all aspects of the environment. The concept of mahinga kai runs much deeper than a food-gathering place. Mahinga kai connects tangata with whenua (people with place) and is an intergenerational, holistic and integrated value. It extends beyond food resources to encompass the utilisation of a full suite of natural resources, including stones/trees used for fire making, tools, pounamu, hāngī stones, mud used for dyes, rongoā, flaxes for weaving, birds, fish and other resources associated with water and adjacent areas. A changing climate has impacts on mahinga kai and, as a consequence, the wider environment and people. We need to actively work towards a sustainable future by utilising mātauranga Māori alongside researched processes to ensure this comes to fruition.

Many Māori communities are not passive victims of climate change and indigenous knowledge, and processes are now being used to help adapt to climate changes, through proven and sustainable methods based on mātauranga Māori methods and values such as active kaitiakitanga.

Ngāti Mutunga

Taonga species

Taonga species are unquestionably treasured by Māori based on historical, cultural, spiritual and ecological significance. A changing climate is impacting our environment and the species within it. Taonga species are central to Māori identity to carry out fundamental manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga practices while allowing for the transfer of mātauranga to future generations. The resurgence of mātauranga Māori and the practices associated with this knowledge are proving to be of greater benefit within our communities. However, the climate changing faster does require knowledge adaptation to happen faster and is said by some to therefore be expected to undermine mātauranga Māori.

Rongoa Māori

Rongoā Māori is one such practice and relies on natural ingredients, primarily native plants and herbs, to heal ailments. Rongoā Māori takes a holistic approach to healing, addressing not only physical symptoms but also emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Rongoā is still used extensively today – many of the medicines from plants are used to fight infection. A growing concern for practitioners of rongoā Māori is the difficulty in accessing the plants needed for rongoā. Another consequence is the loss of mātauranga Māori transmission regarding certain rākau as these plants are not available to keep this knowledge base alive. The gathering of rongoā plants must be carried out in a sustainable way to ensure there will still be some the next time it is needed.