Waimāngaro

This kete kōrero (collection of stories) tells of eight stories written by researchers who were part of the Puna Kōrero of the Te Ao Māori Synthesis programme.  

The binding that ties our chapters together is “stories of connection to wai (water)”. This kaupapa was chosen in collaboration with our cultural advisory group — our mātāpuna. As with water that generates, carries and connects all life, we wanted to acknowledge the ability of water to bind us as people by exploring the many varied ways that we are connected to wai and by wai. 

What is evident from each story is that wai is not only a quintessential element in te ao tūroa (the natural environment), but omnipresent in our lives from the minute we are conceived to the day we depart this world. These stories are a celebration of the diverse understanding of how we connect to wai, whether it is explicitly expressed, implicit in the work we do, or the place from which we draw identity, inspiration and healing.