Taipuni Ruakere, New Zealand
Taipuni Ruakere (Taranaki, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki).
Affiliation: Te Kā*** o Taranaki
Role: Toa Taiao (Māori description for my environmental role)
(Photo Above: Courtesy Taipuni Ruakere)
(2020 Video Introduction, courtesy Taipuni Ruakere)
Organization name: Te Kā*** o Taranaki
Address: 1 Young Street, New Plymouth 4310, New Zealand
Main email: admin@taranaki.iwi.nz
Web site: https://taranaki.iwi.nz/
x2020 x2020Scholar x2020Talk xEducation xLandscape xPacific xNewZealand xAotearoa xYouth xFirstNation, xData, xClimate, xMonitoring xSurvey xAdvocacy xSustainableDevelopment xTraditional xIndigenous xTEK xTribal xTribalStewardship xTribalSovereignty xTribalSovereignty xArcGIS xSurvey123 xStorymap
INTRODUCTION: “For many years the environmental and GIS space has been determined and led by government agencies such as the local councils and Department of Conservation. Our tribal voice has not been at the forefront of issues pertaining to our environment and conservation. Nor have we been at the table when significant decisions are made about these areas.
In 2017 the Taranaki tribe reached a settlement with the government and were awarded compensation for the huge losses suffered by our ancestors in the 1860s. We now have an economic base on which to build our tribe’s future. GIS is a key area that we want to grow and develop moving forward. Implementing GIS into our organisation will allow us to build our own layers of information based on our own matauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and kōrero tuku iho (oral knowledge) according to our Taranaki tribal/indigenous world view.
GIS provides a powerful tool to address the environmental issues we currently face in our region such as adverse agricultural practices, the impacts of the oil and gas industry, increased carbon emissions and climate change. These areas continue to impact on our waterways, ecosystems, our cultural values and the mauri (life force) of Papatūānuku (Earth Mother) and our people. GIS is integral in supporting us to transition towards a healthier environment for future generations.
Finally, this training provides a vehicle to empower our tribe and our people to engage, train and undertake this work within our tribal lands guided by the cultural values, protocols and practices of our tūpuna (ancestors).
“Ko te oranga o te whenua, ko te oranga o te tangata
The Health of the environment is the Health of the people”
ORGANIZATION: Te Kā*** O Taranaki Trust is a post treaty settlement entity that was established following resolution with the Crown in 2017. The trust represents and works on behalf of the descendants of Taranaki iwi (one of eight indigenous tribes of the Taranaki region). The key goals of the organisation are to be a representative voice of the people, to ensure our cultural, social, environmental and commercial activities are well managed. In addition, the trust is to ensure that Taranaki iwi receive benefit; including direct funding, grants, workshops, governance and financial training and support.
Since 2017 the trust has established a number of operational roles in the areas of administration, community development and environmental management to support the marae (tribal gathering place), pā (tribal village) and hapū (sub-tribe) of Taranaki iwi. The trust has allocated funding to support marae and pā with their various projects and provided financial donations to support students enrolled in secondary and tertiary education.
A key objective for the trust is a focus on developing the next generation through organising workshops for youth to participate in. These have been hugely successful in building relationships among young people and connecting them to their language, identity and culture. (Photo Courtesy Taipuni Ruakere)
I started my role with the Te Kā*** o Taranaki Environmental team in September 2019. My role involves walking and capturing the health of the whenua (land), awa (rivers) and moana (ocean). I work from home which is based on our marae (tribal gathering place) at Puniho Pā in coastal Taranaki. (Photo Courtesy Taipuni Ruakere)
A major part of our role is to collect data, such as personal observations, matauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge), alongside scientific knowledge, GIS tools and field collector apps. With this information we wish to build our tribal database and utilise this information to support our marae and hapū to challenge resource consents, development and adverse practices on the land, waterways and near our cultural sites. (Photo Courtesy Taipuni Ruakere)
In recent months we have developed a work plan with our hapū to guide our work on the ground. This has resulted in the development of The Matanehunehu Awa Catchment Plan alongside Puniho Pā and working alongside the Department of Conservation and Oakura Pā to restore Te Koru Pā. This is a brief overview of these projects.
Matanehunehu Awa Catchment Project
The Matanehunehu awa (river) flows from the western slopes of Mount Taranaki just below the National Park forest near the top of Pūniho Rd, down past Pūniho Pā, to the river mouth between Paora Rd and Pūniho Rd into Te Tai O Rehua (Tasman Sea).
The focus in this project is to capture the historical and cultural narratives along the river, to measure the health of the water, riparian planting and mobilizing members of our hapū (sub-tribe) and wider community to get involved in the ongoing management of the catchment.
I have been tasked with sourcing map data from the Taranaki Regional Council locating discharge consents into the catchment. I have walked the river and created a map identifying, riparian margins, weeds, erosion, watercress and water monitoring sites. I have added discharge and land use consents and photographs of community planting along the banks of the river. I have organised interviews with some of our elders to record their experiences of traditional food gathering along the river. Other data includes Māori land blocks and historical imagery sourced from The Māori Land Court and Retrolens.
(MAP: Matanehunehu Stream: Riparian planting locations, weeds and erosion )
I have engaged with the regional council to instigate a weed management plan which is in progress. I have met with landowners/farmers living along our river and have gained clearance to walk and gather GIS data along the entire length of the river.
Te Koru Pā Restoration Project
Te Koru Pā is one of thirteen historic reserves that are cared for by the Taranaki tribe. Te Koru Pā is regarded as one of the most unique sites in New Zealand because of the design and archaeological features within the pā. (Photo Courtesy Taipuni Ruakere)
A key environmental and cultural issue in the pā is the presence of over 70 trees that are dying and the growth of plants along many of the stone riveted banks and ditches. My role in this project has involved helping to clear many of the weed plants present on the stone walls and trailing Survey 123 app to map the location of the dying tree species.
We are currently engaging with the Ngāti Tairi tribe to discuss and formalise the next steps in this project.
Above & Below: Survey 123 Apps for Te Kā*** o Taranaki
Above: Location of trees that need to be removed (Survey 123 trial) (Courtesy Taipuni Ruakere)
On the horizon:
-Eradicate all weeds along the Matanehunehu stream
-Plant the rest of the Matanehunehu stream with locally grown trees
-Monitor trap lines at Puniho and Waikirikiri Reserve
-Initiate the Oakuramatapu Awa Management Plan
-Formalise Te Koru Pā restoration plan with Ngāti Tairi
-Organise and deliver taiao wānanga (environmental workshops)
-Organise and deliver GIS training within the environmental team
-Present GIS data back to whānau, hapū and iwi
(Photo Below: Te Para, Myself and Hiona helping to relocate Toutouwai (North Island Robin), on Mount Taranaki. Courtesy Taipuni Ruakere)
HISTORY: Please describe the history of your personal work in conservation and GIS: I have helped to plant over 20,000 trees at our local beach reserve at Komene beach and Mokotunu (beach reserve). I was involved in relocating harakeke (flax) to be planted along the banks of the Matanehunehu stream at Puniho. More recently I have been involved in checking and re-baiting predator traps along the Matanehunehu stream and the local reserve in Okato. . (Photo Courtesy Taipuni Ruakere)
We have three tamariki (children) that are educated at home and in our local community. Whenever possible we have supported local initiatives and environmental groups such as Te Whenua Tōmuri Trust, Taranaki Tou Kai, the Department of Conservation and the Taranaki Regional Council. Some of the projects we have supported include, riparian planting, vegetable gardens, bird relocation on the maunga (mountain), protecting dotterels, pā site protection and water monitoring along our rivers and streams. Through these opportunities our family have established strong relationships with like-minded people in the community and gained many new skills along the way. As a family we have become better connected and have gained a better understanding and appreciation of the environment around us.
My interest in GIS began through my previous employment with CORE Education (2013-18). Over a period of four years I attended a Google Summit, two Indigenous Mapping Wānanga in Hamilton and I was a participant at the Geo for Good User Summit in San Francisco in October 2018. I have met many knowledgeable and generous people involved in GIS at these conferences including Duane Wilkins and Moka Apiti. Duane in particular has become a close friend and mentor supporting me with many aspects of GIS.
During my role as a Learning with Digital Technologies facilitator at CORE Education I delivered mapping workshops to help students talk about their pepeha (tribal narrative) and helped teachers to map their local indigenous narratives.
2017: I developed a mapping resource for Oakura School to help teachers and students with the pronunciation of local place names.
2018: Virtual Mapping Field Trip to Puniho Pā and Mount Taranaki.
In August 2018 I helped to coordinate a virtual mapping field trip on Mount Taranaki with the CORE Education LEARNZ team, Taranaki and Te Atiawa tribes, LINZ and the Department of Conservation.
This was a Virtual Mapping Field Trip based at Puniho Pā and Mount Taranaki. This project was delivered through the CORE Education LEARNZ team in collaboration with Taranaki and Te Atiawa tribes, LINZ, The Taranaki Mounga Project and The Department of Conservation. The field trip was delivered over three days to over 2,500 students in New Zealand and the content of the trip included local tribal narratives about the mountain, mapping and monitoring the Hangataahua river, predator management, relocation of native birds and mapping at Rotokare Wildlife Sanctuary.
Finally, I had a lead role in a collaborative research project between CORE Education, Puniho Pā and Coastal Taranaki school in 2018. This project integrated aspects of GIS (Google tools and Esri Story Maps) and conservation alongside overnight camps, weekly excursions and coding club to help strengthen the wellbeing of a group of Māori boys in our community.
2012 In 2012 my wife and I also worked as Waste Advisors for Para Kore (An Indigenous Waste Minimisation Organisation). Our role involved presenting and delivering workshops on Marae (Māori gathering places) and community organisations on how to minimise the rubbish they create through reducing, reusing and recycling and composting their waste.
Photo : Facilitating a Para Kore Wānanga at Puniho Pā in 2012 (Photo Courtesy Taipuni Ruakere)
Photo : Facilitating a waste audit with Puniho Pā whānau in 2012 (Photo Courtesy Taipuni Ruakere)
Do you have any connections with SCGIS or your local SCGIS chapter:?
At present, I’m not involved with SCGIS but my intention in the future is to volunteer, as another opportunity to gain experience and knowledge in GIS and to support our local community. I am well connected to our local community and would be very keen to help other volunteers in the organisation to build relationships with our local tribal organisations in the Taranaki region.
I have built strong relationships with various people involved in GIS in New Zealand such as Duane Wilkins (LINZ) and Moka Apiti (Digital Navigators). I also recently met Parker Jones (NZ SCGIS), Markus Heke, Sean Bragg and Aaria Dobson-Waitere (SCGIS Scholar Recipients) at the recent Māori GIS conference in Rotorua. Parker urged me to apply for this scholarship following a conversation about ArcGIS collector tools.
Current GIS capability:
-I attended Indigenous Mapping Wānanga 2017 and 2018 in Hamilton
-I also attended the Geo For Good User Summit in San Francisco about and presented a demo about our Map My Waahi virtual field trip in Taranaki
-I’ve also participated in GIS courses delivered by Duane Wilkins through the Māori GIS Facebook group (Google tools and Esri Story Maps)
-Have delivered workshops with schools (Māori and English medium) using Google My Maps and Google Earth
-Can operate basic ArcGIS functions i.e basic map creation and Esri story maps
-I have developed a river survey using Survey 123
-I have developed and trialed a condition report for one of our significant pā sites (fortification) in Taranaki using Survey 123
-I have recently completed our Awa Catchment Management Plan for our hapū (sub-tribe) which includes many GIS elements
GIS topics of interest:
-How to use data collection apps in the field to help monitor rivers, marine and cultural/historical sites
-How to analyse field data effectively in the office
-How to build innovative story maps for our cultural and environmental sites
-3D mapping to highlight geographical features in the landscape such as land, mountains, rivers, pā sites (forts)
-Have discussions around data and intellectual property rights. Who has control/rights over data, where is it being stored etc
Do you have any experiences in teaching or leadership?:
After attending various GIS conferences I saw enormous value in these tools to support students to learn about their indigenous culture. From 2015-18 I integrated GIS into my role as a facilitator supporting New Zealand schools with digital technologies. During this time culturally responsive practice and placed based learning became a focus in the New Zealand curriculum. I delivered workshops to groups of teachers (staff sizes varied between 10-20) and students (class sizes varied between 15 to 25).
I facilitated workshops in Kura Kaupapa Māori (Māori medium settings) where the focus was on teaching children how to share their (Pepeha) cultural stories using Google My Maps and Google Earth. Students enjoyed the interactive features of these tools and found them easy to navigate.
I facilitated workshops with teachers in Primary and Secondary schools and demonstrated how Google tools can help them to build relationships and learn about narratives related to the Māori people living in their communities, i.e Significant sites, Māori place names. (Photo Courtesy Taipuni Ruakere)
What is the most unique and the most challenging about the conservation/GIS work that you do?: The job I have is a dream role and most days I have to pinch myself. My office is based outdoors alongside rivers, the ocean and the land. I feel privileged to be able to work in a space that allows me to connect to the environment everyday and to walk in the footprints left by my ancestors alongside my whānau (family).
There are numerous challenges in the work that we do in the conservation/GIS space. The huge inequities that continue to exist with central and local government and our tribes concerning the management and protection of the environment.
Another major challenge is working in a space where our lands were confiscated from our Taranaki ancestors by the government through the New Zealand Settlements Act of 1863. The impact of this legislation has resulted in the devastation of entire ecosystems, whole Māori communities, cultural and economic loss and the degradation of the mauri of Papatuānuku (life force of Mother Earth). On a daily basis we continue to see the destructive practises on these lands and waterways by land owners, local industries and developers.
Our shared aspiration is for our indigenous values and traditional knowledge to be recognised, reflected and applied in the management of our environment.
Furthermore, we would like our tribal environmental strategy document (Taiao, Taiora) adopted, legislated and adhered to by government organisations, landowners and developers.
GIS is a key tool to challenge and change current legislation, processes and adverse practises that do not align with our indigenous values and traditional and contemporary knowledge systems. Moreover, the well being of our environment is a key for the well being of all people.
Ko te oranga o te whenua, ko te oranga o te tangata.
(Photo Courtesy Taipuni Ruakere)
2020 Scgis Paper Presentation:
Title Ko te oranga o te whenua, ko te oranga o te tangata
The Health of the environment is the Health of the people
Abstract:
From 1860 to 1881 the Māori tribes of Taranaki endured the unprecedented loss of over 1.5 million acres of land that consequently led to the decline of their social, economic and cultural wellbeing.
A kōrero (saying) that emerged during these dark days was as follows: “Ko te mate o te whenua, ko te mate o te tangata”- which roughly translates as “the death of the land is the death of the people”. Sadly, we continue to see the manifestation of these events in our present generation of Māori living in Taranaki. In general, Māori people continue to be highly represented in the areas of health care, corrections, homelessness, education underachievement and cultural disconnection.
This paper proposes that the healing of the people is found within the healing of the environment. This project will explore how the latest GIS technology can assist our people, young and old to reconnect to their awa (rivers), moana (oceans) and whenua (land) as a pathway to transform the negative statistics that Māori people face.
Through walking and mapping the landscape, field data collection and the capturing of narratives told by the elders, the people of Taranaki will have a means of reconnecting to their culture and taiao (natural world) as kaitiaki (guardians) and experience improved health and wellbeing as expressed in this aspirational kōrero:
‘Ko te oranga o te whenua, ko te oranga o te tangata”
The Health of the environment is the Health of the people
