Ngā Whenua Rāhui Trust - New Zealand

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Veronika Meduna:

"In her vision for a future in which we become better at safeguarding nature, Sage called for an accelerated transition to a “landscape approach” to conservation that recognises the mauri and interconnectedness of ecosystems and the people within them.

One of the speakers, Richard (Blandy) Witehira from the Bay of Islands, (Ngāpuhi, Whakatōhea, Tainui.) filled out this vision with the frequently rough reality on the ground when he recounted the early days, back in 1998, of trying to convince his own iwi to sign a Ngā Whenua Rāhui covenant to protect 1600 hectares of native forest at Rāwhiti. The Ngā Whenua Rāhui trust works with Māori landowners to protect places of biological or cultural significance. Today, there are 272 agreements protecting 180,684 hectares, but back then, many were unconvinced.

A deep-seated mistrust and fear that a covenant was no more than another land grab in disguise was the first response to Witehira’s proposal, followed by legal challenges and threats of violence, particularly when he argued for 1080 as a pest-control tool. But years down the track, locals now listen to brown kiwi at night and toutouwai and kākāriki have returned to the region. Five people are in full-time jobs and many more have regained something even more precious – a renewed “connection with their whenua” as they work to restore the health of the environment.

Witehira wants to see a collaborative approach between hapū and iwi, government organisations, NGOs and local authorities, led by the people of the land. “The secret to solving this biodiversity crisis is to hand the kaitiaki status back to indigenous people.” (https://thedig.nz/biodiversity/kaitiakitanga-seeing-nature-as-your-elder/)