4th TAIĀTEA: Gathering of the Oceans Symposium (2-Day Event)

About this Event:

This Taiātea is a gathering grounded in Te Mana o Rangitāhua, bringing together indigenous leaders, researchers and communities from across Te Moana Nui ā Kiwa. Since 2019, the symposium has strengthened relationships across our region, guided by shared responsibility for island homelands and ocean environments.

This fourth gathering continues that lineage as a wānanga shaped by tikanga, relational accountability and intergenerational responsibility.

This year’s programme explores three interconnected areas of inquiry will guide our shared research and collective wānanga:

Reframing Authority

Exploring what it means for island futures to be imagined and governed under mana whenua authority, and how conservation, research, and policy systems might realign to uphold relational responsibility rather than fragment it.

Interconnected Island Systems

Understanding whenua, intertidal, and moana as one living system, an integrated whakapapa network in which ecological integrity, cultural continuity, and governance are inseparable. This includes examining how contemporary research, modelling, and design practices can operate in alignment with Indigenous system architecture.

Transformation & Justice

Considering the structural shifts required to secure thrivability across ecological, political, and intergenerational domains, and how collective commitments might move us from analysis toward enduring change.

Through shared research, dialogue thought wānanga, and collective drafting of commitments, the symposium seeks to generate pathways that strengthen Indigenous governance and ecological thrivability.

What to Expect:

• Keynote presentations from national and international speakers
• Panel discussions and facilitated roundtables
• Wānanga spaces for deep, participatory engagement
• Collaborative sessions contributing to shared insights and pathways forward
• A symposium dinner with guest speakers and entertainment

A full programme and keynote speaker announcements will be released closer to the event.

Registration:

Your registration includes:

• Full access to all symposium sessions, keynote presentations, and the dinner on 16 June
• Wānanga spaces and facilitated kōrero
• Morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea across both days, with kai provided at the dinner

Accommodation and Travel:

Travel and accommodation are not included in registration.
Participants will receive recommended accommodation options and local transport information upon registration.

Cultural Context:

TAIĀTEA follows tikanga Māori throughout the symposium. No prior knowledge is required - guidance and support will be provided across the event.

Further programme details - including keynote and guest speakers, dinner entertainment, session outlines and more - will be released in the coming weeks as the kaupapa continues to unfold.