For many marae, recent severe weather events have brought forward the need for urgent adaptation and managed retreat plans.<\/p>\n
The task they face can be daunting. Besides the physical buildings, marae have deep cultural connections to the land it\u2019s placed upon and the community it serves. <\/p>\n
Recent Waikato University PhD graduate Dr Akuhata Bailey-Winiata studied historical examples of hap\u016b and iwi that have relocated in response to natural hazards and said there were \u201cgems\u201d to be found in the past to support future decision-making.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing that our t\u016bpuna did it before, there\u2019s a level of, or a sense of that, OK, we can do it again into the future if we have to. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think that was a great way to kind of just bring it to the forefront, to say this is not new, we have done this before and if the situation is right for us we can do it again. So, kind of just making it less scary knowing that our t\u016bpuna had done it before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bailey-Winiata\u2019s research focused on adaptation processes from a M\u0101ori perspective.<\/p>\n
Drawing from his own iwi of T\u016bhourangi and their relocation following the 1886 eruption of Tarawera, the autonomy of decision-making and land gifting were important elements to the process, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were actively making those decisions for our hap\u016b and iwi, and I guess perspectives of land and infrastructure. Te ao M\u0101ori perspectives of land is that it\u2019s not a commodity, it\u2019s something that is kind of part of our process. Looking at it in that way supported that relocation process.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said there was also an element of reciprocity where they gifted the land back 100 years after the eruption event.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s all these little things and, again, this is just one example. There would have been many [examples] out there, which will just show the diversity of adaptation and relocation process that exists historically.\u201d <\/p>\n
He reiterated: \u201cThis isn\u2019t new if we had to do it again we can. We just need to be pragmatic about those discussions and not shy away from them which is easier said than done when there\u2019s layers upon layers of mamae that you having to deal with at the same time.<\/p>\n
\u201cLots of challenges at the moment, the world is a scary place there\u2019s so much going on, how do we have those discussions in amongst all of that other stuff that\u2019s happening is a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Knowledge-sharing: \u2018You don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know\u2019<\/p>\n
Bailey-Winiata said there were discussions on managed retreat and adaptation being made across Aotearoa on multiple levels \u2013 wh\u0101nau, marae, hap\u016b, iwi and national \u2013 and at different stages.<\/p>\n
This month, around 80 M\u0101ori adaptation professionals gathered in Tauranga to discuss climate change considerations for hap\u016b and iwi.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was something that came up in this w\u0101nanga, around how do we better connect across these scales. Because there\u2019s lots of good mahi happening and oftentimes I feel you don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo sharing examples is really helpful to shed a light on what other people are up to and are there synergies, are there opportunities to actively grow? <\/p>\n
\u201cBut it is changing and I know with all the current national legislation that\u2019s coming out around adaptation framework out of MFE [Ministry for the Environment] I think this is just a growing space and more and more is going to come out which is really cool to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of the w\u0101nanga, the group visited Maket\u016b to hear from the iwi collective whose climate change adaptation plan won the New Zealand Planning Institute\u2019s (NZPI) Best Practice Award in non-statutory planning.<\/p>\n
Waka Hourua framework<\/p>\n
Bailey-Winiata developed a framework to help councils and government partner with hap\u016b and iwi.<\/p>\n
The Waka Hourua model is named for the double-hulled canoe where one hull is assigned to tangata whenua, the other to tangata tiriti.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got our own hulls but we\u2019re heading in the same direction in terms of climate change. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all going to be impacted similarly, but we also need to work together, and it\u2019s the in-between the two hulls is where the partnership comes in in terms of how do we work together, how do we share information, share resources, share expertise across them where appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n
The framework has been adopted by the Aotearoa Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) to inform their approach with working with hap\u016b and iwi.<\/p>\n
Ongoing support for marae<\/p>\n
In January, M\u0101ori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced the Marae Emergency Response Fund<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last week, Ng\u0101tiwai iwi leader Aperahama Kerepeti-Edwards told RNZ\u2019s Morning Report there should be ongoing support for marae from the government.<\/p>\n In terms of resourcing, Bailey-Winiata said discussions need to take place, particularly given that marae are one of the first to open doors to everyone in their communities during natural hazard events.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s that emergency management aspect that keeps coming into the adaptation discussion and I think it\u2019s an important aspect that we need to consider.\u201d<\/p>\n Just look how many local states of emergency<\/a> we\u2019ve had in Aotearoa in this year alone, he said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re having to plan for the future and respond at the same time. We need to kind of figure out how do we best approach that because it is going to continue to happen. So yeah, I think there needs to be a broader discussion across national, regional, local scales around how do we best support communities to be able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n But it\u2019s tricky, he said. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very difficult because you\u2019ve got so many priorities that are happening it\u2019s like how do you choose which ones you have to focus on? It\u2019s really a minefield of where do you prioritise and I don\u2019t think there\u2019s one way around it. I think it just comes down to having discussions on what is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Marae on the move<\/p>\n