Nau mai haere mai

Water New Zealand's Climate Change Group and The Sustainability Society (Engineering NZ) welcome all members of both organisations, and non-members to attend this collaborative online panel discussion on Māori worldviews, climate & carbon pathways.

Join us to hear from three Māori climate leaders, Donna Awatere-Huata, Johnnie Freeland and Matthew Tukaki, as they share perspectives on how holistic Māori worldviews & aspirations for kaitiakitanga (environmental guardianship) can inform climate action and carbon zero pathways in Aotearoa.

Troy Brockbank and Emily Afoa will host this kōrero to explore creating low emission pathways where mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) provides guidance and inspiration on how this may be achieved.

Water New Zealand is on a journey to address the challenges of climate change within the 3 water sectors. The Water New Zealand Climate Change Group has taken up the task to suggest a pathway to transform how our infrastructure is designed, managed and operated to appropriately adapt, mitigate and decarbonize our sector services. This webinar has been created to start the conversation about how this can be done in a way that is aligned with the aspirations of Tangata Whenua, Te Mana o Te Wai and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership agreements at local and national governance levels. This webinar has been made possible by collaboration with The Sustainable Society.

Our panelists

Donna Awatere-Huata

Ngati Whakaue Ngati Porou Ngati Hine Nga Puhi

Māori Climate Commissioner

http://www.maoriclimatecommission.co.nz/

Donna Awatere-Huata takes on the role of Māori Climate Commissioner after a lifetime spent as a fierce advocate for the Treaty of Waitangi and an equally fierce opponent of ongoing colonisation of and racism toward Māori.

The Office of the Māori Climate Commissioner provides independent Māori-focused research and advice that will contribute to Aotearoa meeting its obligations under the 2015 Paris Agreement on greenhouse-gas-emissions (NZ’s commitment is to reduce those emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030).

The Commissioner has three pou:

• To represent the interests of Māori Landowners and advocate on their behalf.

• To support the establishment of the World Indigenous Carbon Foundation – to support indigenous peoples promoting the value of their world views in helping their governments meet their climate change targets.

• To advocate for the value of the Māori World view in meeting Aotearoa climate change targets in particular the concepts of whakapapa, mauri and utu that underpin whānau hapū responsibilities to the natural world.

Johnnie Freeland

Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua, Ngai Tuhoe

Project Specialist – Iwi Māori partnerships Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children

Johnnie belongs to Ngāti Te Ata Waiohua, one of the kaitiaki iwi of Tāmaki Makaurau/ Auckland and Ngai Tuhoe and brings together more than 30 years’ experience of serving community and in guiding and navigating a range of Iwi, Māori community and public sector organisations in working to achieve better outcomes with Māori. He was formerly the General Manager for Māori Strategy and Relations for the Auckland Council and is currently the Senior Māori Advisor for Oranga Tamariki/ Ministry for Children within Tāmaki Makaurau/ Auckland

He is a traditional knowledge holder and practitioner and plays a leadership role within his own tribe. Johnnie is helping navigate a whakapapa centred response to climate change within Tāmaki Makaurau, through the Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum. In partnering with the Auckland Council, together they are looking to harness the benefits of drawing on mātauranga Māori knowledge and western science to navigate a way forward for Auckland.

“We’ve been applying ‘whakapapa centred design’ methodologies anchored in Indigenous/ Māori systems thinking practice with our mana whenua iwi in Tāmaki Makaurau in the climate resilience response as well as other mahi, centred on the regeneration of ecological, social, cultural and economic well-being of catchments, such as Te Puhinui in South Auckland.

COVID-19 and Auckland’s current water challenges has further reinforced both the challenges and opportunities of navigating and creating futures anchored in mātauranga Māori and kaitiakitanga.”

Matthew Tukaki

Ngā Te Rangi

Executive Director; New Zealand Maori Council

Member of the National Executive

Chair of the Auckland District

https://maoricouncil.com/

Matthew is the CEO of The Māori Carbon Collective, Executive Chairman Australia’s peak body, Suicide Prevention Australia, Charirman of the National Māori Authority of New Zealand, Nganga and Chairman of social investment business, the sustain group.

“When asked about climate change the other day I made clear my belief - that we must move to protect our Maori infrastructure from Marae to Papakāinga, from Kura to Kōhanga Reo and more - especially in areas where we know coastal erosion and increasing king tides will be present - we must restore our waterways and increase our focus on the regeneration of native flora and fauna - all of this can be done as a result in investing in our organisations and communities - while also investing in our people. I'll be saying much more in a few weeks about a new Maori Infrastructure Development Fund - and it all starts with planning and adaptation ... ‘

We must move to protect and ensure our Maori infrastructure from our Marae to our Papakāinga, from our Kura to our natural resources. Climate change and the impact on the Te Ao Maori world will be significant – planning and investment is essential”.

Our hosts

Emily and Troy recently published this article on Indigenous Water Sensitive Design : https://watersource.awa.asn.au/publications/technical-papers/indigenous-water-sensitive-urban-design/

Emily Afoa

Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto

Environmental Engineer & Partner at Tektus Consultants

http:// tektus.nz/

Emily is a Partner and Environmental Engineer at Tektus Consultants Ltd with over 14 years experience gained through roles in tertiary institutions, local government, and consultancy firms. She has a passion for water sensitive solutions that value Te Ao Māori and provide benefit to both community and the natural environment.

Emily became a partner with Tektus in April 2018, and brings with her wide-ranging environmental and engineering experience gained through roles in tertiary institutions, local government, and consultancy firms. Emily has expertise in stormwater management, including with both traditional reticulated systems and water sensitive solutions - all underpinned by her Doctorate in civil engineering which focused on the design and construction of living roofs in a New Zealand context. Emily's comprehensive professional experience has helped her become a well-respected and valued engineering professional in New Zealand and beyond, reinforced in 2017 when she received the CH2M Beca Young Water Professional of the Year award. Emily, her husband James and step-daughter Maddisyn live in Mount Wellington with their two dogs; and all of whom make the most of New Zealand's great outdoors - whether that be on two feet, two wheels or a single board.

Troy Brockbank

Te Rarawa, Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi

Kaitohutohu Matua Taiao / Senior Environmental Consultant with WSP

Troy Brockbank is a civil engineer, Kaitohutohu Matua Taiao / Senior Environmental Consultant with WSP, Board member of Water New Zealand, 2018's New Zealand Young Water Professional of the year, and 2020's Engineering NZ President's Fulton-Down Silver medal winner.

He has over 10 years professional experience in the water industry across engineering consultancies, civil contractors & suppliers. He has developed specialist skills in investigation, design, manufacture, construction, and project management of stormwater management solutions for public and private developments.

He has developed a real passion and ability for water sensitive design, in particular solutions to protect and restore the quality of waterways and the environment.

He considers himself an intermediary, having the advantage of seeing aspects from both an engineering and a Te Ao Māori world view. He is passionate about the widespread adoption of a holistic culturally enhanced water sensitive design approach and will continue working towards raising awareness as a leader in this field both nationally and internationally.

"Ko au te wai, Ko te wai ko au – I am the water, the water is meealand