Latest news with #Māori
Scoop
16 minutes ago
- Science
- Scoop
We travelled to Antarctica to see if a Māori lunar calendar might help track environmental change
Antarctica's patterns of stark seasonal changes, with months of darkness followed by a summer of 24-hour daylight, prompted us to explore how a Māori lunar and environmental calendar (Maramataka) might apply to the continent and help us recognise changes as the climate continues to warm. Maramataka represent an ancient knowledge system using environmental signs (tohu) to impart knowledge about lunar and environmental connections. It traces the mauri (energy flow) between the land (whenua), the ocean (moana) and the sky and atmosphere (rangi), and how people connect to the natural world. Maramataka are regionally specific. For example, in Manukau, the arrival of godwits from the Arctic indicates seasonal changes that align with the migration of eels moving up the local Puhinui stream. During matiti muramura, the third summer phase that aligns with the summer solstice, the environment offers tohu that guide seasonal activity. The flowering of pohutukawa is a land sign (tohu o te whenua), the rising of Rehua (Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius) is an atmospheric sign (tohu o te rangi), and sea urchins (kina) are a sea sign (tohu o te moana). When these signs align, it signals balance in nature and the right time to gather food. But if they are out of sync (such as early flowering or small kina), it means something in the environment (te taiao) is out of balance. These tohu remind us how deeply land, sea and sky are connected, and why careful observation matters. When they're out of sync, they call us to pause, observe and adapt in ways that restore natural balance and uphold the mauri of te taiao. Tracking a Maramataka in Antarctica One of the key tohu we observed in Antarctica was the mass arrival of Weddell seals outside New Zealand's Scott Base at the height of summer. Guided by Maramataka authorities, we explored other local tohu using Hautuu Waka, an ancient framework of weaving and wayfinding to navigate a changing environment. Originally used for navigating vast oceans, wayfinding in this context becomes a metaphor for navigating the complexities of today's environmental and social challenges. During the Antarctic summer, the Sun doesn't set. But we documented the Moon when visible in the day sky and observed the Sun, clouds, mountains and various forms of snow and ice. This included glacial ice on the land, sea ice in the ocean and snowflakes in the sky. While the tohu in Antarctica were vastly different from those observed in Aotearoa, the energy phases of the Maramataka Moon cycles aligned with traditional stories (pūrākau) describing snow and ice. We identified some of the 12 different forms of snow recorded by ethnographers, who described them as the 'offspring of wind and rain'. At Scott Base, we observed feather-like snow (hukapuhi) and floating snow (hukarangaranga). Further inland on the high-elevation polar plateau, we found 'unseen' snow (hukakoropuku), which is not always visible to the naked eye but felt on the skin, and dust-like snow (hukapunehunehu), akin to diamond dust. The latter phenomenon occurs when air temperatures are cold enough for water vapour to condense directly out of the atmosphere and form tiny ice crystals, which sparkle like diamonds. In te ao Māori, snow has a genealogy (whakapapa) that connects it to wider systems of life and knowledge. Snow is part of a continuum that begins in Ranginui (the sky father) and moves through the god (atua) of weather Tāwhirimātea, who shapes the form and movement of clouds, winds, rain and snow. Each type of snow carries its own name, qualities and behaviour, reflecting its journey through the skies and land. The existence of the specific terms (kupu) for different forms of snow and ice reflect generations of observation, passed down through whakapapa and oral histories (kōrero tuku iho). Connecting Western science and mātauranga Māori Our first observations of tohu in Antarctica mark the initial step towards intertwining the ancient knowledge system of mātauranga Māori with modern scientific exploration. Observing snow through traditional practices provided insights into processes that cannot be fully understood through Western science methods alone. Mātauranga Māori recognises tohu through close sensory attention and relational awareness with the landscape. Drawing on our field observations and past and present knowledge of environmental calendars found in mātauranga Māori and palaeo-climate data such as ice cores, we can begin to connect different knowledge systems in Antarctica. For example, just as the Maramataka contains information about the environment over time, so do Antarctic ice cores. Every snowflake carries a chemical signature of the environment that, day by day, builds up a record of the past. By measuring the chemistry of Antarctic ice, we gain proxy information about environmental and seasonal cycles such as temperature, winds, sea ice and marine phytoplankton. The middle of summer in an ice core record is marked by peak levels in chemical signals from marine phytoplankton that bloom in the Ross Sea when sea ice melts, temperatures are warmer and light and nutrients are available. This biogenic aerosol is a summer tohu identified as a key environmental time marker in the Maramataka of the onset of the breading season and surge in biological activity. The knowledge of Maramataka has developed over millennia. Conceptualising this for Antarctica opens a way of using Māori methods and frameworks to glean new insights about the continent and ocean. Grounded in te ao Māori understanding that everything is connected, this approach invites us to see the polar environment not as a remote but a living system of interwoven tohu, rhythms and relationships. Disclosure statement Holly Winton receives funding from Royal Society Te Apārangi (Rutherford Discovery Fellowship and Marsden Fast-Start) and Victoria University of Wellington (Mātauranga Māori Research Fund). Logistics support for Antarctic fieldwork was provided by Antarctica New Zealand. Ayla Hoeta receives funding from Victoria University of Wellington (Mātauranga Māori Research Fund). Logistics support for Antarctic fieldwork was provided by Antarctica New Zealand.
NZ Herald
41 minutes ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
PM Christopher Luxon discusses Northland's economic potential with iwi and Māori trusts
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met with iwi and Māori trusts in Northland today to discuss further unlocking the region's economic potential. Luxon was accompanied by Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith, Māori Crown Relations and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka, and Northland MP Grant McCallum.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Homegrown health workers fill Taranaki gaps
New Plymouth Boys High School students heard from Tui Ora kaiārahi in primary care Lee O'Neill about a future in the health sector at one of Why Ora's workshops. Photo: LDR / SUPPLIED A 15-year effort to fill gaps in the Taranaki health workforce has almost doubled the proportion of Māori working for the region's public health service. As New Zealand struggles to attract doctors and nurses in a global shortage, and regions are forced to compete with the big cities for health workers, Taranaki has nurtured a homegrown response. Whakatipuranga Rima Rau (Generation 500) was set up in 2010 to attract 500 Māori into the region's health sector over a decade. Back then Māori were 6.6 percent of the workforce at Taranaki District Health Board. Photo: These days 11.3 percent of Taranaki staff are Māori at what's now Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ), which employs about half of the region's health workers. The Whakatipuranga Rima Rau trust didn't hit the target of 500 doctors, nurses, support workers and other health and disability staff within ten years, but its work continues under a new brand, Why Ora. Why Ora currently has 209 Māori registered as in health jobs in Taranaki, with a further 58 in tertiary study for health careers. Sixty-five senior high school students learned about hauora career possibilities at two recent workshops hosted by Tui Ora in New Plymouth and Ngāruahine Iwi Health Services in Manāia It was Why Ora's first time partnering with Māori service providers, with previous Rapuara Hauora (health careers) workshops held at Taranaki Base and Hawera Hospitals. Students got a look inside Māori health workplaces and hands-on learning with professionals. The tama got hands-on experience, including trying out exercises designed for kaumātua. Photo: LDR / SUPPLIED Why Ora kaiārahi (guide) Liahna Smith said taking an interactive approach inside kaupapa Māori spaces "made it so awesome for everyone involved". "The positivity about being Māori and working to serve whānau: 100 percent we would want to continue this approach in the future." Smith's boss, pou whakahaere (chief executive) Tanya Anaha, said it fortified Why Ora's determination to grow a strong, capable Māori health workforce. "This partnership not only gave our taiohi (teenagers) a valuable opportunity to explore the many career pathways into sustainable, high-income roles within the health sector, but also allowed our providers to showcase the incredible services they deliver to our communities." Tui Ora's kaumātua talked about the value of health and support services they receive, said facilitator Leanne Matuku. One elder had a mokopuna in the student group. "Now our kaumātua have seen the programme the vine is going to happen - whānau will be saying to each other 'why isn't your boy here?'" she said. Ngāruahine Iwi Health Services kaiwhakarite (manager) Warren Nicholls said Rapuara Hauora events opened up pathways to meaningful work for taiohi. "It's very rewarding to establish a whakapapa connection or linkage that offers taiohi a further sense of identity and belonging - and both humbling and a privilege to share ourselves and our insights, to support these taiohi in reaching their potential." The late Dame Tariana Turia launched Whakatipuranga Rima Rau while in coalition with National during John Key's premiership. As associate health minister, she said it was "the most impressive expression" of kotahitanga, whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga and rangatiratanga (unity, relationship, stewardship and self-determination). "There is a wider vision yet - even more impressive than 500 jobs - and that is to create the expectation and indeed the reality that Taranaki will have a competent, skilled Maori health and disability workforce." Despite the doubled presence of tangata whenua in Te Whatu Ora's Taranaki workforce, that 11.3 percent would need to double again to match the Māori share of the region's population. Why Ora has expanded its indigenous career empowerment mahi to also help Māori onto other career paths, particularly education. - LDR is local body reporting co-funded by RNZ and NZ on Air
Scoop
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Government Agency Warns Controversial Bill Could Delay Disaster Response
As the cleanup begins in flood-hit Tasman, fresh documents reveal a stark warning from Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) that the Regulatory Standards Bill could hinder the country's ability to respond to climate-related disasters. In a briefing obtained by Greenpeace under the Official Information Act, LINZ - the agency responsible for managing Crown land - warned that the Bill may "limit the ability to respond quickly to emerging issues (for example, climate-related or natural disaster issues)." Greenpeace has called the advice "yet another nail in the coffin for the doomed Bill". "As families, businesses and farmers in Tasman begin the difficult cleanup after yet another devastating flood, it's shocking to learn that officials are warning this Bill could make it harder to respond to exactly these kinds of disasters," says Greenpeace spokesperson Gen Toop. LINZ also flagged concerns about the Bill's impact on critical infrastructure and public works, warning "an overly rigid emphasis on property interests may conflict with broader regulatory objectives, including the Government's ability to acquire land for infrastructure or public good projects." This was a concern echoed by the Treasury in its advice on the Bill. "The Regulatory Standards Bill is dangerous. It would tie the Government up in new red tape at the very moment when urgent climate action and disaster preparation are needed most," says Toop "The advice is clear. This Bill would make it harder to build the infrastructure we urgently need to decarbonise the economy and prepare for climate disasters - things like flood protection, improved communication links, and renewable energy." LINZ further flagged that the legislation could create new legal barriers to returning land to iwi under the Treaty settlement process, citing concerns raised by the Waitangi Tribunal. "These new warnings are yet another nail in the coffin for this doomed Bill. It has attracted blistering criticism from the United Nations, legal experts, health professionals, Māori leaders, environmental groups, and the public service itself." "The Labour and Green parties have committed to repealing the Bill. It simply has no future. The Prime Minister should withdraw National's support immediately before further time and money is wasted on yet another one of David Seymour's disastrously unpopular policy ideas." This latest revelation comes as news broke this morning that MBIE had warned the Bill could be much more expensive than previously expected and have a negative impact on economic growth, and just days after news broke that the United Nations has issued a letter to the Government criticising the Bill.
Scoop
2 hours ago
- Business
- Scoop
Govt Plan For Jobs A Complete Failure
Benefit and jobseeker numbers released today show the Government's plan to grow jobs and address the cost of living is failing miserably. 'The latest June quarter report shows that things are getting worse, not better,' Labour Social Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. 'Jobseeker numbers are up. Homelessness is up and cost of living is skyrocketing. This is not a time for Louise Upston to celebrate. 'Yet, she pats herself on the back for moving people off the main benefit but completely ignores the fact that more and more people are receiving benefits and are out of work. By any measurement, this is a failure. 'For whānau in Tāmaki Makaurau it's even worse. The latest report shows that there are 2,800 more Māori on Jobseeker since the end of 2023. 'The Government has cut Māori trades training, which helped our whānau into jobs and the economy to thrive. If anyone should be sanctioned, it should be this government,' Willie Jackson said.
