The dumping of vast amounts of rubbish by visitors to one of the country's most scenic lakes has shocked the iwi which manages it, and prompted calls to crack down on unruly behaviour in the area. There have even been calls on social media for Lake Waikaremoana, in Te Urewera region, to be closed to visitors if things do not improve. But Ngāi Tūhoe says policing the area will do little to stop the disrespect and...
A 2000-year-old forest hidden beneath a Tūhoe lake could provide vital information on climate change patterns, Niwa says. Niwa scientist and underwater photographer Crispin Middleton has been working with New Zealand Geographic to document the ancient forest at the bottom of Lake Waikaremoana, 80 kilometres west of Gisborne. Initially a personal project for Middleton, now Niwa is considering paleo-climatic research on the...
What makes a forest healthy? Maori knowledge has some answers.
Working with its elders and other traditional knowledge holders, the Māori community of Ruatāhuna, New Zealand, has articulated its own, culturally relevant system for monitoring the health of the ancient Te Urewera temperate rainforest it calls home. For instance, the community regards the size of flocks of kererū or wood pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) as a key indicator of forest health, and assesses it by the amount of awe an observer...
A Māori community leans on tradition to restore its forest
Deep in New Zealand’s vast Te Urewera forest, which is famously endowed with a legal personality, the Māori community in Ruatāhuna is working to restore and sustain its forests and way of life. Having regained control of their land after decades of logging by outside interests, members of the Tūhoe community are trying to bring back conifers in the Podocarpaceae family, which they refer to as the chiefs of the family of Tāne, the god...
It's all about Connection - Cutting Edge Conference
The Cutting Edge Conference provides an opportunity for the addiction sector to get together, to network, and to learn about and embrace innovative thinking and practice. This year’s theme was: 'It’s all about Connection'. The essence and meaning in our lives is found in the connections we share with each other, with our whānau and within our communities. These relationships have the power to build us up or to tear us...
Te Toka Tu Moana - Cutting Edge Conference Energy Events Centre, Rotorua (Sept 12-15)
The need for connection - to people, to cultural and spiritual identity, to community, and to appropriate health care is pivotal in recovery from addiction. This is a common thread among both international and local speakers at the 2018 DAPAANZ (Addiction Practitioners’ Association Aotearoa New Zealand), Cutting Edge addictions conference which opens today (Wednesday September, 12) at the Energy Events Centre,...