Tihei: Care for our environment so our environment can care for us

The Fish Hook Summit was attended by approximately 240 participants from Wairoa through to Wairarapa.

On July 12, Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated held its 12th annual Kahungunu Fish Hook Summit at the Napier War Memorial Centre on Marine Parade.

The conference, which was attended by approximately 240 participants from Wairoa through to Wairarapa, focused on the current state of our environment, specifically regarding our waterways and the recent devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Representatives of each of the taiwhenua from Te Wairoa, Te Whanganui-A-Orotu, Heretaunga, Tamatea, Tāmaki-nui-a-Rua and Wairarapa gave heart-warming updates from their rohe.

Te Whanganui-A-Orotu chairman Hori Reti gave a stirring introduction to start off these reports, showing video footage from February 14 when the devastation was realised throughout the rohe.

Environment and Natural Resource specialists Ngaio Tiuka and Shade Smith brought in environmental experts and scientists from different organisations who helped us understand what happened on that day and also offered insight into how management might adapt and better work with our environment and values.

Making room for our rivers where possible and the multiple benefits associated with the potential unintended consequences of contemporary river management approaches was discussed.

“Despite the tragic cyclone, there is an opportunity to learn and work towards improving our planning, saving costs through wider considerations and recognising the value of mātauranga Māori and more natural solutions,” Smith said.

Ngaio and Shade ended the day verifying their findings and solutions to protect waterways.

“Our natural environment has been severely degraded, not just by natural disasters but poor management, polluted waterways, damaged mahinga kai, over-abstraction of water and much more,” Ngaio Tiuka said.

For the past 13 years, the Fish Hook Summit has been an opportunity for Ngāti Kahungunu to come together and share mātauranga and experiences from across the rohe, with kōrero from our tribal authorities from Wairoa to Wairarapa; providing updates on taiao projects, sharing experiences, ideas, aspirations and promoting plans and collaboration going forward.

The Ngāti Kahungunu freshwater objectives remain the same:

1. The revitalisation of the mauri of waterways.

2. Repatriation of our values, practices and customs – enabling access and use of waterways and resources.

3. Control water quality and quantity, providing safe and reliable drinking water.

4. Maintain, enhance and restore water quality.

5. Managed for aquatic ecosystem purposes; maintain water flow and quantity for ecosystem health.

6. Avoid adverse causes and effects of unsustainable land use.

7. Manage water and land use at the sub-catchment scale and provide and resource for effective hapū input.