Wao Tāngata

This report is one in a series of publications that sit within the Ngā Tohu o te Ao project, funded by the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge. Ngā Tohu is a three-year research project that aims to understand the reclamation of maramataka as a framework for the development of cultural coastal indicators. This report provides an overview of how maramataka knowledge has supported the reclamation of maramataka practice. Specifically, it examines applied Wao Tāngata, the application and use of two cultural practices – tirotiro (cultural observation) and rūnanga (collective analysis) – as key components of tohu (cultural environmental-indicator) development. 

The report begins by emphasising the importance of Wao Tāngata as the foundation for reclaiming ancestral practices. It explores the process of tirotiro, which facilitated the data collection, and is grounded in cultural observation practice. The report also delves into the core aspects of rūnanga, which seek to reclaim cultural practices related to collective analysis and decision-making. This report highlights the experiential learnings and key insights derived from the reclamation of maramataka practice and illustrates how this reclamation process has developed across the three research areas, Tokomaru Bay, Tauranga and Ngataki.