Professor Kura Paul-Burke. Photo / Tamara Poi-Ngawhika
Public Interest Journalism, funded through NZ On Air
The "world is dying", but matauranga Māori has so much to offer the sciences, New Zealand's first wāhine Māori marine professor says.
Professor Kura Paul-Burke (Ngāti Whakahemo, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Pukeko) says using Māori knowledge is becoming more relevant.
Her comments come as the latest Ministry of Environment report shows climate change is affecting the marine environment.
Our Marine Environment 2022 shows the environment is under pressure from climate change and degradation from activities on land and at sea. It is contributing to increasing ocean acidification, rising sea levels, and increasing sea-surface temperatures.
Paul-Burke spoke to the Bay of Plenty Times on the day she formally became the first wāhine Māori Professor of Marine Research at the University of Waikato.
"Our ocean, our world, is dying.
"One thing that helps us to better care for our ocean and natural world is for us all to be more open to other perspectives and knowledge systems," Paul-Burke said.
She said there were solutions within matauranga Māori and marine science.
"We are better when we all work together," Paul-Burke said.
She said she was humbled to be appointed a professor and hoped she could support more Māori to access opportunities in science.
"On one hand, I'm deeply humbled - on the other hand, there are only three Māori marine professors in the country.
"In 2022, that tells us that something is wrong with the system," Paul-Burke said.
Paul-Burke, who is based at the university's Tauranga campus, said it was exciting to be supervising Māori marine PhD students from the Bay of Plenty.
"These bright young tauira [students] are forging new paths with their unique Māori-led approaches to marine science," Paul-Burke said.
Megan Ranapia (Ngāti Awa, Waikato-Tainui) is supervised by Paul-Burke, and said her appointment was a significant accomplishment.
"To have a Māori professor in science provides [a] te ao Māori perspective and voice at these higher-level roles," Ranapia said.
Ranapia said Paul-Burke had done a significant amount of hard work in the background to create a safe space for aspiring Māori scientists.
"I hope to see more wāhine Māori in sciences, as I believe we bring a different perspective to how we do science, especially environmental sciences.
"Wāhine Māori have an innate nature to manaaki our own people and taiao, which can only be of benefit for everyone," Ranapia said.
Environmental Science PhD student Kiri Reihana (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Te Whakatōhea, Ngāi Tūhoe) said the official powhiri was a momentous moment and she was privileged to be a part of it.
"I can say to my descendants I was a part of this exciting change and era.
"It is a significant milestone in time - for wāhine Māori, for science and as a signal of change in our era, of movement, of normalisation of Māori women in science, edging out of the colonial state we have existed within for so long," Reihana said.
Reihana described Paul-Burke as tireless in progressing Māori, wāhine maori and rangatahi.
"She is a true leader in our space and it is a privilege to be one of her tauira [students]," Reihana said.
Paul-Burke said she worked with iwi and hapū to help understand the importance of collecting evidence to help make informed decisions.
"All of our work is led by matauranga Māori assisted by marine science.
"That means that we actively design research projects that promote mātauranga Māori as an integral part of marine restoration," Paul-Burke said.
Paul-Burke said this approach was working, as Māori-led projects were revealing new ways to approach marine science and restore degraded kaimoana [seafood].
"Further, our work is now being replicated by other scientists and hapū/iwi around the country."
Paul-Burke's whānau, hapū and iwi took a bus from Rotorua and travelled together via Pukehina and Te Puke to mark her welcome. Ngāti Whakahemo chairman Mita Ririnui said he was proud of Paul-Burke's remarkable accomplishments.
Ririnui said Paul-Burke was leading Ngāti Whakahemo in important marine conservation efforts around the rohe.
"We are working with her to look at the threats to natural kai resources in Maketū and Little Waihi estuary and the adjoining rivers."
Ririnui said Ngāti Whakahemo relied on the guidance of scientists to protect and sustain the environment.
"As coastal people, we have waterways and wetlands, so everything we do is potentially a risk to the environment."
Ririnui said the iwi would share any learnings from the experiments and projects they found in their works with Paul-Burke.
Professor Margaret Barbour, the university's dean of science, said the University of Waikato was delighted by Paul-Burke's appointment in recognition of her leadership in weaving mātauranga Māori into Western science, and this held valuable insight into managing the ecosystem.
"As the University's first Māori professor in science, Kura is a shining example of our commitment to upholding the value and mana of mātauranga Māori.
"I hope rangatahi see Kura and are encouraged to imagine their own future in science."