Source: Radio New Zealand
Taiātea is an Indigenous-led symposium and knowledge exchange grounded in the understanding of the moana as a living ancestor. Supplied
Indigenous leaders from across the Pacific and beyond will gather at Waitangi next month for a 10-day wānanga focused on protecting and restoring the Pacific Ocean, Te Moana Nui a Kiwa.
Taiātea: Gathering of the Oceans Voices, Views and Leadership Symposium will bring together more than 20 Indigenous ocean leaders, marine scientists and researchers from Canada, Australia, Hawai’i, Niue, Rapa Nui and the Cook Islands, alongside Māori leaders from across Aotearoa.
The symposium was last held in 2019 and centres on weaving Indigenous knowledge and leadership into ocean protection, climate resilience and future decision-making.
A public forum will be held at Te Tiriti o Waitangi Marae (Te Tii Marae) on 4 February, coinciding with Waitangi celebrations in Paihia. The forum is open to the public and will focus on Indigenous approaches to kaitiakitanga, tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake in marine governance.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi Marae chair Ngāti Kawa Taituha (Ngāpuhi) said the gathering reflects the deep responsibility iwi and hapū hold to the moana.
“We are looking forward to again welcoming our manuhiri from the Pacific and the motu, as the Taiātea Forum shares and discusses the practice of Tino Rangatiratanga and Mana Motuhake.”
Taituha said like Te Tii, the moana was a taonga to be cared for and treasured.
Supplied
Taiātea leader Sheridan Waitai (Ngāti Kuri, Te Rarawa, Tainui) said the hui was about strengthening long-standing relationships between Indigenous peoples who share common responsibilities to the ocean.
“We are connected through our shared kaitiakitanga of taonga and our ecosystem,” she said.
“As kaitiaki of the moana, it is important we come together to discuss what others have achieved with similar constraints, learn about what is working, what isn’t, and move forward together with purpose.”
Following the Waitangi forum, Indigenous leaders will travel to Tūwharetoa and Whanganui to meet with haukāinga, take part in further knowledge exchanges and discuss specific case studies in freshwater and marine management.
Taiātea lead researcher Lisa Te Heuheu (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto) says the mātauranga held by haukāinga is at the heart of the kaupapa. Supplied
Taiātea lead researcher Lisa Te Heuheu (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Maniapoto) said the gathering continues kōrero around protecting mātauranga Māori and taonga tuku iho (treasure handed down by ancestors), aligning with the Wai 262 ‘Tiaki Taonga’ framework.
“The knowledge held by our haukāinga is at the heart of this kaupapa,” Te Heuheu said.
“These exchanges create space for people to share lived experiences, learn from one another and strengthen relationships to the ocean.”
Organisers say the symposium is designed to support Indigenous-led solutions to environmental challenges, while also creating opportunities for collaboration with researchers, agencies and non-government organisations.
The 2026 gathering at Te Tiriti o Waitangi Marae (Te Tii Marae) will be the third time the wānanga has been held. Supplied
Taiātea leaders are inviting marae, hapū, iwi, environmental groups, government agencies and marine researchers to attend the public forum at the Waitangi Forum tent on 4 February.
Waitai said keeping the forum open was key to building collective momentum around moana protection.
“This is about growing the collective to gain momentum in the protection of our moana and in that way our knowledge exchange is inclusive,” she said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
