Te Tira Whakamātaki (TTW) is a Māori-led environmental not-for-profit working at the intersection of science, stories, and sovereignty.
They exist to protect what matters most, our whenua, wai, taonga species, seeds, stories, and people. Our work spans four key areas: biosecurity & biodiversity, emergency management, oceans & climate, and seed & biobanking.
Join TTW’s team, Melanie Mark-Shadbolt (CEO), Marcus-Rongowhitiao Shadbolt (Seed Technician), and Rawiri Walsh (Kaimahi Taiao), for an evening kōrero on safeguarding local taonga through seed banking.
They’ll share a practical, tikanga-aligned walk-through of seed collection (what to gather, when, and how), ethical considerations for collecting and storing, simple cleaning/drying/packing methods, labelling and record-keeping, and storage options suitable for marae, whānau, and communities.
They'll showcase examples from their mahi, demonstrate tools and low-cost setups, outline roles for kaitiaki, collectors, growers, data stewards, and discuss pathways for training.
Together we'll discuss what a Taranaki seedbanking network could look like.
They'll also introduce us to Te Puna Taonga Ora, TTW's initiative to establish Aotearoa New Zealand’s first Māori-led biobank, a living seedbank and frozen ark designed to protect the blueprint of life by collecting, preserving, and revitalising seeds, lichens, ferns, animal DNA, embryos, and other taonga species.
