Source: Radio New Zealand
Dr Akuhata Bailey-Winiata. Supplied/The University of Waikato
New research is looking to examples from the past to inform how marae might relocate and rebuild in the face of sea level rise and other natural hazards brought on by climate change.
University of Waikato PhD graduate Dr Akuhata Bailey-Winiata (Tūhourangi, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Tutetawha) told RNZ many existing adaptation options, processes and frameworks don’t consistently account for the cultural significance of marae.
Drawing on the whakataukī “Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua – I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past,” he looked back through history for examples of marae or communities being relocated.
“So we found 51 examples of where hapū and iwi had either discussed relocation or had actually done relocation of the communities, marae structures in response to natural hazards. But I want to preface is that 51 examples just came from the written record and I know that that is just the tip of the iceberg. There’ll be so many more examples through pūrākau, oral histories.”
History clearly shows that for Māori communities adapting to natural hazards isn’t a new thing, he said.
“We know this, but sometimes we kind of forget that we have adaptation in our whakapapa. So I guess bringing it to the forefront was like, okay, yep, we’ve done this before, we can do it again if it’s the right choice for us.”
One of the examples highlighted a personal connection in Bailey-Winiata’s whakapapa, the relocation of Tūhourangi iwi following the 1886 Tarawera eruption.
“Tūhourangi is one of my iwi I whakapapa too and I got to interview some of my kaumātua, some of my whānau, just to understand, you know, what did that process look like? What were the enablers of their specific process? Some enablers were land gifting, perspectives of land and infrastructure… and autonomy in decision making. So really the decision making power was with that hapū level. And again, that’s just one example there’ll be many more.”
Hinemihi meeting house at Te Wairoa, after the Mt Tarawera eruption. Buried Village Museum of Te Wairoa
The PhD research also involved working with hapū groups on adaptation planning. Bailey-Winiata worked with the Maketu Iwi Collective to develop their climate change strategy and with Tauranga hapū Ngāi Tamawhariua, with both groups sharing insight on how the went about adaptation planning.
Inisghts from wānanga with Māori who are currently assessing climate risks to marae informed the creation of framework to decision-making for marae facing sea level rise and other climate risks.
The first part of the framework is based on partnership and uses a waka hourua (double-hulled waka) model to illustrate the concept. Bailey-Winiata explains that each hull of the waka represents tangata tiriti and tangata whenua, it has two sails: one for Western knowledge and one for Mātauranga Māori.
But the waka is heading one direction, reflecting how climate change affects everyone, he said.
The waka hourua model is now in use by the recently launched Aotearoa Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) and Bailey-Winiata is part of a project that has received funding from Earth Sciences New Zealand to further develop the concept.
Seeing ASAP take a piece of his mahi and roll with it has been a privilege to see, he said.
Major protects to relocate marae are underway across Tairāwhiti after flooding from Cyclone Gabrielle, including two marae in Te Karaka inland of Gisborne, three marae in Ūawa Tolaga Bay, and two more north of Napier in Hawkes Bay.
Bailey-Winiata said these rebuild projects will offer some insight into the intricacies of contemporary relocation.
“The marae that are having to undergo it currently, I think there’s a great opportunity there to explore, you know, what did their process look like? What were the considerations that they were thinking about when they were making the decision to move? And what were the intricacies behind that? Because I think that’s going to shed a huge light and provide examples of how others can go about it.”
Bailey-Winiata was awarded his PhD at Waikato University’s Tauranga campus earlier this month, he also received the University’s 2026 Koko Kairangi Prize for Best Doctoral Thesis, in recognition of the impact of his research.
It’s been a humbling experience to receive the award and a good chance to go back and reflect a bit on the whole journey, he said
“I think this is common for many PhD students at the end, I think they’re a little bit traumatised by the whole thing, so they don’t want to think about it. But now being able to reflect it’s quite cool.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
