Te Tāhuhu Matatau: Empowering kaitiaki of Tangaroa

Bringing the worlds of mātauranga Māori and science closer together can enhance the expression of kaitiakitanga by connecting kaitiaki to trusted sources of knowledge and tools for ecosystem-based management (EBM).

This project builds on the Tāhuhu Matatau Te Ao Tangaroa project, which found that there were limited digital resources available for kaitiaki that were developed by Māori for Māori.

Tāhuhu Matatau Te Ao Tangaroa focused on reclaiming and reframing mātauranga Māori to enable kaitiaki of Tauranga Moana to develop relevant tools for marine decision-making. The project team, with participating hapū and kaitiaki, co-developed a prototype of an online pātaka mātauranga (digital resource).

For this project, the overarching aim is to empower kaitiaki across Aotearoa with relevant environmental management approaches, frameworks and tools for an EBM approach. This will be achieved by further developing the pātaka korero website, focused on:

• A marine spatial mapping tool to assist with reclaiming mātauranga Māori
• Digital resources to improve science communication between academics and kaitiaki
• Māori tools and frameworks to help academics and government agencies engage with kaitiaki
• How to maintain the online resources beyond the life of this project

The incorporation of tikanga Māori and pou matua (guiding principles) will continue to be a hallmark feature of this project, guided by the learnings from Tāhuhu Matatau Te Ao Tangaroa:

• Building trust – Through kanohi ki te kanohi, kōrero, uiui and wānanga
• Telling the stories of kaitiaki – Acknowledging kaitiaki stories and their whakapapa connections
• Connection – Building whanaungatanga by connecting kaitiaki to knowledge, tools and people
• Ownership – Maintaining tino rangatiratanga over kaitiaki knowledge
• Protocols – Creating the space to wānanga tikanga and kawa required for the safe keeping of kaitiaki stories