PKW Whānau key to water monitoring project

Whānau involvement in establishing and nurturing the wellbeing of awa flowing across Parininihi Ki Waitōtara whenua is crucial to the effectiveness of the cultural monitoring tools, according to the findings of a recent report.

Otago University undergraduates Te Kahurangi Skelton-Pue and Rawiri Ratahi completed a five-week internship at PKW during the summer, as part of the team implementing the kaupapa laid down by the Kaitiakitanga Strategy.

Their task was to trial, test and evaluate the Cultural Health Index tool and the PKW Mauri Scale to establish their effectiveness when measuring the overall health and vitality of waterways on PKW farms.

“An essential element of the Kaitiakitanga Strategy is mātauranga Māori, enabling us to assess water quality and health holistically, as well as from a Western science based perspective,” explains Puna Wano-Bryant General Manager Shareholder Engagement. “This is a ground-breaking approach to environmental assessment and study, enabling scientific data to be complemented and enhanced with and by tikanga Māori.

“The role PKW has as kaitiaki of our whenua for current and future generations is a responsibility that we take very seriously and the development of the aspirational Kaitiakitanga Strategy provides a framework for the practical application of our duties in this space.”

The strategy consists of five key priorities: Wai Māori (establishing and protecting the mauri of waterways); Tukanga o te Pāmu (farming sustainably and with minimum impact); Te Kōkiritanga (to be leaders in kaitiakitanga); Kanorau Koiora (enabling sustainable cultural harvesting of taonga species) and; Tūkononga (reconnecting PKW whānau with their whenua).

Above: Interns Te Kahurangi Skelton-Pue and Rawiri Ratahi from Otago University present their findings.

“These priorities provide the strategic focus we need to ensure any activities we undertake are aligned with the values and ethos of behind the Kaitiakitanga Strategy,” says Puna. “Any projects or mahi we carry out must be effective and contribute towards the goals we have set ourselves, and ultimately the protection, restoration and ongoing nurturing of Paptuānuku and Tangaroa ki uta.”

The application of the Cultural Health Index tool and the PKW Mauri Scale when assessing waterways holds huge potential, not only for PKW, but for other incorporations, iwi groups and environmental projects.

“The perception that you can look at the environment either through a westernised science lens or a mātauranga Māori lens is something we really wanted to challenge,” says Puna. “We believe that both approaches are different ways of looking at the same thing and, as such, both hold merit. But capturing that cultural kōrero, and being able to use it as a unit of measurement is a challenge.”

The Cultural Health Index (CHI) monitoring tool was developed in 2006 and has been employed nationally to specifically determine the health of a river or stream. It uses 16 ‘indicators’ which combine to give a single score or value.

Mauri is imminent within all creation, the life force which generates, regenerates and upholds creation, binding their spiritual and physical elements together, and PKW’s Mauri Scale has been developed to provide the means to measure this over time.

There are five levels on the scale:

(A) Mauri Ora: Life force of the awa is well and in a drinkable state.

(B) Mauri Piki: The life force is growing/ improving towards a purifying state.

(C) Mauri Whakakau: The life force is in a swimmable health state.

(D) Mauri Heke: The life force is declining, I would not swim here but the awa is not sick.

(E) Mauri Māuiui: The awa is sick, no one should swim or drink from here.

Ensuring these tools were fit for purpose was the task set down for Te Kahurangi Skelton-Pue and Rawiri Ratahi, in a project jointly sponsored by Callaghan Innovation, Otago University Te Koronga Māori research faculty and PKW.

“We found that both tools were effective and offer huge potential in bringing a cultural focus to measuring environmental variables to gain an overall picture of health and vitality,” says Te Kahurangi. “But, to be truly effective, they must be used in collaboration with whānau who can reconnect and engage with the awa. This enables the cultural insights that are vital to achieving a holistic result with a Māori perspective at its core.”

Above: Te Kahurangi puts the Kaitiaki tools through their paces in the field.

Above: Interns Te Kahurangi Skelton-Pue and Rawiri Ratahi from Otago University.

“Field research proved to be extremely valuable, and we identified areas of refinement in both the CHI and the Mauri Scale that could improve their performance as data generation vehicles,” added Rawiri. “One of the issues with this type of research is the danger of subjectivity and monitor bias, hence our recommendation that whānau engagement is essential to bring as much knowledge together as possible.”

The pair also found significant overlap between the two tools, and suggested that they could be combined to provide a single, comprehensive and straight-forward to use measurement system.

“This would then be an easy to use, effective and relevant tool that captures mātauranga Māori to enable researchers to identify what areas need immediate attention,” says Te Kahurangi.

Both students found the experience at PKW to be wholly positive, and were extremely grateful for the support and opportunity to contribute to the project.

“We shall miss both Te Kahurangi and Rawiri for the energy and vitality they bought to the team, their sense of humour and the diligence they bought to their mahi,” says Puna.

“The contribution they have made is significant, and we will be applying their findings to ensure the tools we are using to achieve our goals as kaitiaki are fit for purpose.”

Te Kahurangi Skelton-Pue

Ko Taranaki te Maunga

Ko au he mokopuna o nga wai o Waitara me Waiwhakaiho.

I te taha o tōku mama ko Taranaki, Te Atiawa, me Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga oku iwi

I te taha o tōku papa, he kakano ahau o Ngāti Maru ki uta Ngāti Maru ki tai.

Ko Rata Pue raua ko Pounamu Skelton oku matua.

Te Kahurangi is studying for a Bachelor of Science, majoring in sports development and management, and was keen for the opportunity to see how a kaupapa Māori ethos works in a practical setting.

“This project has been so rewarding on so many levels , and our hearts are full at being given this opportunity to return to our maunga,” she says. “While coming home has always been on the cards, I have been able to experience the vitality, the sense of purpose, people have here and discover that I have something I can offer back to my people, that I can come back and be of use.”

She says she experienced a real sense of ngākau in her work and a connection with her father.

“I thought PKW were just involved in farming the land for people, a viewpoint probably shaped by my father who was a vocal critic of PKW in his time.

Above: Te Kahurangi and Rawiri gifted a beautiful taonga to acknowledge the welcome and support they received from PKW whānau.

“It was huge being able to connect with people that he had been involved with and hear their stories about him, and know that the mahi I was doing was exactly what he had lobbied for.”

“The support and engagement we got from people, especially Hoani Eriwata of Te Whenua Tōmuri, Taranaki Iwi and Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa, was truly humbling and I am so grateful to them all. They made a huge difference to the success of our mahi, and I am sure they will continue to support the work PKW is doing as kaitiaki.”

Rawiri Ratahi

Ko Taranaki te maunga

Ko Waitara te awa

Ko Tokomaru, ko Kurahaupo ngā waka

Ko Te Atiawa, ko Taranaki me Ngāti Maru ngā iwi

Ko Owae, ko Orimupiko ngā marae

Nō Waitara ahau

Ko Ratahi tōku whānau

Ko Tony rāua ko Marise ōku mātua

Ko Rawiri tōku ingoa

The key highlights for Rawiri, whose parents have whakapapa connections to PKW, was the sense of growth he found in himself and the connections he made with the people he met.

“It was great to meet with the whānau who are connected with the awa which are monitoring as part of the project, and find out how keen they were to support us, and what we were doing. Everyone had such confidence in us.

“Discovering how supportive people back home are of us and our mahi here at Otago University, has impacted on what I was going to do for the next couple of years, and I think it may bring me home a little sooner rather than later.”

He says participating in the project has encouraged him to value the mātauranga that Māori have as a people and how important it is to ensure their wellbeing.