The National Science Challenges come to the end of their 10-year journey today.

I have been fortunate to lead New Zealand’s climate change adaptation National Science Challenge – the Deep South Challenge – over its final 2.5 years. The Challenge, alongside other research efforts, has helped understand key climate drivers around Aotearoa New Zealand, the impacts on our key parts of our economy, and how Mātauranga is helping communities to adapt.

We don’t get a choice about adapting to a changing climate. The choice is whether we make bold decisions and do it on our terms, or instead, experience costly knee-jerk reactions to devastating climate events.

We’re choosing the latter: Gabrielle in February 2023, Auckland Anniversary weekend 2023, Nelson floods 2022, Westport floods in 2021 and 2022 and this week (again) Wairoa. Our thoughts are with those repeatedly having to deal with climate impacts.

We still don’t have a framework for things like moving out of (let alone stop building in) flood-prone regions. Currently, managed retreat is effectively being “managed” by banks and insurance companies. The latest Challenge research adds more evidence that this will exacerbate existing inequalities.

We have enough information and tools to get on with adapting to climate change, and many communities and sectors are now committed to climate adaptation planning and action. But the longer we delay making those bold decisions, the higher the overall cost (financially, socially, culturally and environmentally) will be.

Continued strategic research will be needed over the coming decades, to bridge the gap between knowledge and adaptation action, to resource hapū and marae community research projects, and to develop fitter for purpose, accessible, climate hazard and risk information.

Not investing in research now will mean even harder financial times in the future. Ill-informed decisions will lead to disconnected communities, suffering industries – and those who rely on them, food insecurity and biodiversity loss.

Our website (deepsouthchallenge.co.nz) is full of webinar recordings, videos, podcasts, infosheets, and of course reports that communicate our researchers’ findings, and will ensure that the work of all those in the Challenge is retained and available for the next 10 years (at least!).

The fantastic Deep South Challenge team have found new ways to identify and fund actionable and useable research for communities and other end users – and have brought climate change onto the agenda for many groups and sectors. Many of the team are now looking for new opportunities after the Challenge. If you get a chance to hire them, then snap them up quickly!

I’m looking forward to the next 10 years with optimism. While we’ve got many hurdles ahead, the Deep South Challenge has shown me we’ve got many dedicated and talented people working across a wide range of issues – we just need to get in and support them.

Phil Wiles, Director, Deep South Challenge.

27 June, 2024. Wellington, NZ.

The Deep South Challenge has taught us many things, but a finding that stands out across multiple projects in our Impacts & Adaptation and Vision Mātauranga streams is that responses to climate change need to be local. There is so much regional specificity in how the impacts of climate change are being felt, that trying to apply a nation-wide model to adaptation is of limited value.

This finding made itself known again in this project on preparedness for climate change in our primary industries. This research project sought to go a lot deeper with farmers and other food producers to understand the threats and opportunities at play as they work to meet the challenges of climate change and their need to adapt head-on.

Counting the cost

Anita Wreford (also one of the Deep South’s leadership team, with ultimate responsibility for all Impacts & Adaptation research projects) was working on reports to the IPCC when she started looking for information about the costs associated with both climate change impacts or adaptation, and realised there wasn’t much to go on. As she says, “you couldn’t say that climate change adaptation will cost [x]”

Getting to one round number wasn’t ever the goal, but getting closer was. Anita had conversations with various people in various sectors, but ultimately her position at Lincoln University and its deep connection to rural Canterbury pointed her at primary industries.

An understanding of costs is important. It helps make sense of the impetus to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, for example. And that’s important in Aotearoa NZ, where around half of our emissions originate in the agricultural sector. If there’s no understanding of the consequences of taking no action, it becomes very hard to work out why to do anything.

Prior to this research, there was a lot of biophysical modelling available – so the impacts of climate change on land, farming ecosystems, etc, were starting to be more well known. But there was nothing that really connected it to costs at a local level.

There was also the question of the “direction” of cost – a lot of thinking was around the cost to the farmer. But, New Zealand’s primary industries are of immense economic importance, and in regional economies, often the primary industries are the driver. This was certainly true in Anita’s neck of the woods.

Then there’s cost to the consumer. Getting a better understanding of how all of this fits together was partly about protecting the New Zealand public from undue burden as the impact of climate change forces the price of food way up as farmers absorb the additional price of doing business in the same way it’s always been done.

What we know now

One of the great triumphs of the National Science Challenges is that they brought people together. They provided a mechanism by which collective thinking and conversations could happen at a much larger scale – and it’s that idea that saw Adapting Aotearoa come together in late 2023. This symposium put climate change researchers and primary sector producers in the same room to talk through the issues at play.

Cost was at the core of that discussion, because adaptation naturally requires changes to how farming practice is undertaken: systems change costs money. This is about cost to the farmer – real impact in monetary terms on their income, as they spend more on adjusting to, say, drought. But, a different kind of cost was also at play – the wider regional cost, the societal cost and the unknown cultural cost of not adapting.

At the symposium, there was also a strong focus on not adapting fast enough. The struggle between the financial incentives for incrementalism and the socio-cultural incentives for more radical change was the focus of the symposium report, and several of the talks from the event.

In this research project specifically, Anita and her colleagues produced reports on the impacts to primary industries from coastal flooding and sea level rise, growth and yield of some feed crops in changing conditions as well as information specific to help the dairy sector plan for and sequence adaptation.

Importantly, this project also looked at the perceptions dairy farmers had around climate change; the report on that was called (in part) “As a farmer you’ve just got to learn to cope”, which was a direct quote, and speaks volumes.

What next?

Anita’s own words are the best for describing the future of this work, and how it can inform the ongoing research needed in the primary industries as climate change continues to bite –

“As a whole, I hope the project highlights to the sector the differentiated regional impacts of climate change, and that adaptation needs to be very locally specific. I hope that the work around adaptation planning and sequencing is used by the agricultural sector, to help bridge the thinking around immediate short term actions with planning for what might be necessary in the longer term. For the projected biophysical impacts around pasture growth and persistence, heat stress, as well as the flood exposure mapping, I hope that this triggers some thinking within the sector about adaptation.”

And what can farmers do now?

“If you’re not already taking records (weather, soil temperature, production), start now! This will help understand whether changes are part of a trend or just a blip, and help you understand the impacts of any changes you make.”

Te Huka o Te Tai Research area covers the coastal area from Potikirua to Whangaokena, extending three nautical miles out to sea. It includes Te Whānau a Tapaeururangi, Ngāi Tuere, Te Whānau a Tuwhakairiora, Te Whānau a Te Aotaki, Te Whānau a Kahu, Ngāi Tamakoro, Te Whānau a Hunaara, Te Whānau a Hinerupe, Te Whānau a Tarahauiti, Te Whānau a Te Aopare, Te Whānau a Te Aotaihi.

This part of the takutai is characterized by high wave exposure, rocky reefs, and sediment deposited into two bays (Wharekahika and Te Araroa) from the Wharekahika, Karakatuwhero, Awatere, and Waiapu rivers.

The current work has involved targeted kōrero, hui wānanga and a re-survey of the takutai to bring together mātauranga and science-based approaches to understand the current state, risks and opportunities for the takutai moana, a hapū-led vision for the takutai, and potential ways of achieving that vision. This included building greater understanding of the way climate change affects the takutai and methods that could help mitigate those effects and create wider benefits.

The wānanga produced several key insights within a fulsome discussion. Keen insights and directives were:

• There was widespread agreement that kaimoana was once much more abundant than today. 
• A decline in both the stocks and size of kaimoana species has been observed, and most cited reasons for this included overfishing, pollution from sediment, and not basing activities around tikanga. 
• There was consensus on the vision for the takutai; that it should be a place of abundance once again, 
• that hapū should have mana motuhake (self-determination) for their respective areas, and that there is resourced, hapū-led management of activities in the takutai.

Highlights in relation to our research included:

• Research was significantly impacted In 2023, the East Coast was hit with several severe storms including Cyclone Gabrielle. This disrupted the lives and work of whānau across the rohenga, including this area of takutai. Impacts from flooding, woody debris, closed roads and damaged bridges. As a result this report was delayed in its production and was given an extension to June 2024. The fact that the project could be completed at all is an important milestone and a testament to the resilience of the haukaenga involved in the project.
• The project included twelve interviews with rangatahi who live in the Matakāoa region. These interviews moved fluidly between reo Māori and English and focused on their thoughts and feelings about the takutai moana. These rangatahi expressed strong positive feelings about the takutai as a place for healing, happiness and relaxation. Like the older generations at the wānanga they were concerned about the disappearance of kaimoana, and also the accumulation of rubbish. They hoped that they could continue to play, swim, collect kai and spend time with their whanau in the takutai, and not have to worry about pollution

The Eating With my Tuupuna project explores the deep cultural significance of hauanga kai (food gathering sites) and mahinga kai (food gathering practices) for Waikato-Tainui poukai marae. These traditional food resources and practices are fundamental to tribal identity and have sustained generations, with the health of hauanga kai reflecting the health of the iwi themselves.

The project examines key poukai species – traditional foods served at important tribal gatherings. This includes exploring the rich mātauranga (traditional knowledge) embedded in the Māori names, harvesting locations, techniques, preparation methods, and cultural practices associated with these species. For example, there are over 100 Māori names for freshwater tuna (eels) alone, demonstrating the depth of traditional ecological knowledge.

However, the ability of marae and whānau to access, protect and utilize their hauanga kai has been severely impacted by historical injustices and environmental degradation. Land confiscation, restrictive legislation, land use changes, and pollution of waterways have all taken a major toll on traditional food resources and practices. These effects continue to be felt acutely today.

The Waikato River Settlement marked a turning point, with the Crown apologizing for past wrongs and committing to restore the health of the Waikato River. This was underpinned by Te Ture Whaimana (the Vision and Strategy for the river) and key settlement principles. However, full implementation of the settlement’s intent in regional and local policy has been slow.

While the Resource Management Act 1991 promised greater recognition of Māori interests and values, hauanga kai species, resources and sites remain under threat. Integration across multiple agencies and statutes remains challenging. The now repealed resource management reforms promised greater recognition of iwi plans and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. However, recent repeals to the legislation fails to carry any of this forward.

Recent reporting on the future of local government calls for a culture shift in how councils engage with Māori. Recommendations focus on embedding a Treaty-based approach, tikanga, te ao Māori values, co-governance, and building Māori and council capacity.

In this context, the Eating With my Tuupuna project aims to revitalize traditional food gathering knowledge and practices (and share it by way of a cookbook), while also informing policy to better protect these taonga (treasures) for future generations. By exploring the deep connections between culture, food, and environment, the project seeks to support climate resilience and cultural wellbeing for Waikato-Tainui whānau.

The Living Pā project is a 3000m², three storey, learning, teaching, research, and engagement space being added to Te Herenga Waka marae on Victoria University of Wellington’s Kelburn campus. It is designed to meet the International Living Future Institute’s™ Living Building Challenge™ (LBC). Our research project, He Pā Mataora asked the question: “How can we adapt to climate change and live, learn and work more sustainably, as Māori, within the mātāwaka, pan-Māori context of the Living Pā?” 

Pātaka approach

We organised the project around four ‘pātaka’—Tikanga, Reo, Ako and Taiao — drawing on the strengths and diversity within the research team. Over the course of our research we conducted interviews, community wānanga, site visits, and literature reviews and built a corpus and an AI tool to explore our history, cultural beliefs and practices in relation to sustainability.

That helped us develop a framework that blends tikanga Māori with the design principles of the LBC and used that as the basis for an article about how the philosophies of te ao Māori (the Māori world) and living buildings can come together to guide our marae communities into more climate adaptive and resilient practices without compromising on tikanga. We also interrogated our beliefs and practices around manaakitanga and produced case studies around how we propose to host visitors in the Living Pā while managing food supply issues and wastage.

We identified numerous examples of how mātauranga Māori provides guidance around sustainable practice. We produced teaching resources about health and safety and about harakeke plants that we will use to teach a new major and minor in kaitiakitanga, including an undergraduate He Pā Mataora course that has been approved by CUAP and will be offered from February 2025. We completed 3D scans of a pair of huia birds that will be part of a display in the Living Pā to teach the story of their beauty and demise. We also looked at the importance of public education, and developed ideas around community outreach and the need to share our stories beyond the university environment.

Inspiration for the future

Finally, we reflected on the uniqueness and challenge of trying to create a Living Building – a process that we hope other Māori communities will be inspired to follow, just have we have been inspired through site visits and guidance from the communities of Te Kura Whare in Tāneatua and Te Wananga o Raukawa in Ōtaki.

While the official period of our He Pā Mataora project has now come to an end, its outputs and outcomes will continue through to the opening of the Living Pā building in December 2024 and into the future. We hope that this work has made a helpful contribution ‘mō te āpōpō―for future generations’.

Kaupapa:

Climate change is currently posing a significant challenge to Indigenous communities around the globe, including Patuheuheu and Ngāti Haka hapū. Our communities have adapted in various ways, such as relocating, constructing new buildings, resettling, and strengthening our cultural resilience. The lasting effects of colonisation and the need to relocate and reconstruct our communities because of climate change have been difficult but not insurmountable. The increasing severity of climate change, particularly floods, strong winds, and fire risk, is concerning for our hapū. However, how we frame, and study climate change can aid us in overcoming these challenges and thriving despite the adverse conditions. In a world experiencing instability, people seek information from various sources to anticipate, adapt, manage risk, and prosper in a changing climate.  We look to our past, our traditional knowledge, to inform us.

Research Aims:

Our overarching aims for our hapū are a continuation of the legacies left by our kuia and koroua. We aim to create sustainable resources to benefit our community for future generations. We believe in the transformative power of education and are dedicated to encouraging this transformation within our whānau. To this end, we are focused on providing various educational opportunities for our tribe members. We also understand the importance of planning for the future, so we are working to develop and implement succession plans for our families. Our goal is to improve the resilience of our whānau, equipping them with the skills and resources they need to thrive. Lastly, we are committed to supporting rebuilding our whare tīpuna, preserving our rich cultural heritage while adapting to present and future needs.

The aims of ‘Ki te whare tū tonu, ki te whare manawaroa:  Towards a climate resilient meeting house’ enabled us to focus on how and what information we collectively gather about climate change and its impacts on our whare tīpuna, Tama ki Hikurangi.

MS 1: Tiaki mātauranga/Infrastructure and caretaking of traditional knowledge.

MS 2: Whakarite rangahau/Research preparation.

MS 3: Kohi mātauranga/Collate traditional knowledge.

MS 4: Whiriwhiri kōrero/Organise findings.

MS 5: Toha kōrero/Share findings.

Research Framework:

Our project team, led by Dr Hohepa Tamehana, drew on our local mātauranga to identify three focus areas. 

1. Te Wai (Past):  Understanding the historical narratives, waiata, and whakapapa of our whare tīpuna
2. Te Hau (Present):  Investigating the environmental impacts surrounding the whare tīpuna associated with climate change
3. Te Orangatonutanga (Future):  Exploring examples of sustainable marae designs, potential marae networks, and resourcing options

Research methods and analysis:

Throughout this kaupapa, we utilised various methods to achieve our research aims, including reviews of taonga, literature, videos, photos, and interviews.  Some key methods used included Wānanga or culturally immersed learning sessions held throughout the project.  We collaborated with other existing initiatives with the marae to share and network some of the learnings from our respective kaupapa.  We also attended wānanga in neighbouring rohe and around the country, networking with other groups working on the same kaupapa.  We will continue to hold wānanga as we work towards rebuilding our whare tīpuna.  Multiple hui were and continue to be held between reporting times and across different responsibilities to update and receive feedback about research progress.  They have been captured in the form of notes or minutes. An opportunity to analyse the minutes (open to the hapū) was a great suggestion.  The most significant method used was the collective scholarship approach. Consistent with our aims, hapū members were invited to partake in a fully funded Master Scholarship opportunity.  Five members are engaged in He Waka Hiringa – Masters of Applied Indigenous Knowledge with Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.  They are expected to complete their studies in February 2025.

Key learnings and themes 

We have identified some key learnings from this kaupapa.  As we continue this kaupapa beyond the project, more lessons will likely be ahead. We look forward to engaging with other groups or individuals involved in similar projects.

Establishing roles and responsibilities:  One of our emerging lessons in delivering this project was getting clarity around the roles and responsibilities of the project.  Many people involved in this kaupapa have multiple roles and responsibilities around and beyond the marae but are fully committed to the aims discussed earlier.  A key task identified between the Roopu Rangahau (our kaitiaki group) and the Marae Trust was to develop a plain language MOU to determine responsibilities around research contract management, which are not ordinarily part of a marae setting, nor are they readily available for a hapū entering into a significant research contract.  The MOU included responsibilities related to reporting, financial management, health and safety, milestones, sub-contractual arrangements, scholarship management, risk management, and conflict resolution.  The MOU is also subject to review. A template is available upon request.

Sharing climate risks from the land:  During a wānanga around climate risk assessment together with Tonkin & Taylor, the local whānau shared oral histories of their experiences of the land and changing climate.  It was articulated by the whānau that the land is not just a physical entity, but also a spiritual life source. The vitality of the land is deeply connected to the health of the environment and especially affects those who live in the valley. Extreme weather conditions, such as floods and droughts, pose a risk to the land. These conditions can affect the spiritual vitality of the land and, in turn, impact the people who live there. Understanding this interconnection can help us better protect the land and its inhabitants.

Understanding the impacts of climate change upon the people:  A critical conversation that occurred led to one of the Master’s student shifting her focus from climate change impacts on the local river to vulnerable populations within Waiohau Valley, including kaumātua, mokopuna, ngā tūroro.  She discovered in her role as a caregiver that the voices of those she cares for and how they will be impacted is vital to her well-being and deeply interconnected with the collective well-being of the hapū.

The role of spirituality to facilitate resilience: Spirituality within our research activities is critical to the well-being of our kaupapa.  Understanding the connectivity between ourselves, each other, the changing environment, and our past, present, and future must be nurtured and maintained regularly.  We recognise the Ringatū Haahi’s critical role in facilitating resilience for future climate risk events, which has been a constant across our rangahau activities.

Communicating and managing expectations:  One of the features of having a hapū wide research topic and reporting in the marae space places expectations of what and the level of reporting detail.  We learned that the decisions of a project team and Roopu Rangahau do not translate into the marae space.  In the future, we will communicate up front and, more often, the roles and responsibilities of our MOU so that a clear line is made around who is responsible for what and what level of information is shared.  There are also expectations around the students returning to the marae to carry out their work at the whare while they study.  Such expectations pressure the students to juggle whānau and work commitments, traveling, and financial constraints, yet pass their papers.  At the same time, it places extra pressure on the hau kāinga, who have the day-to-day responsibilities of running the marae.  This is part of a broader and intergenerational issue around keeping the home fires burning without burning out our people.  There are whānau, also hau kāinga and ahi teretere, mostly graduates of He Waka Hiringa, who have been supporting the students with their mahi.

Critical conversations around:  There have been opportunities to internalise some conversations at multiple levels and across multiple entities against the backdrop of actual severe weather events such as Cyclone Gabrielle.  The topics of conversations range from accessing affordable and durable materials for the whare tīpuna, understanding the different marae responses to Cyclone Gabrielle, the need for people to support the upkeep of our whare tīpuna and the marae complex, succession planning, reflecting on preparedness and response plans, leadership, and decision-making roles and so on.  The recent engagement of the Toi Rito Toi Rangatira leadership programme has also sparked further conversations of interest.  A follow-up of their mahi is coming soon.

Caring for our taonga tuku iho:  The students are currently developing their taonga tuku iho, sustainable resources to benefit the hapū.  A critical question from this arrangement is around the responsibility of a taonga for collective benefit.  It was determined that each student would maintain kaitiakitanga roles over their taonga, which is up to them, with guidance from select hapū members.  The aim to establish a database did not happen at this time; although all the parts of a database are ready, we are missing the guiding kōrero (which was not factored into our research plan).  A much bigger kaupapa is ahead –around how we care for our mātauranga. We have returned to our Kāhui Kaumātua to start the kōrero around what is important to be captured and why we are capturing this mātauranga.  We already have digitised material of our taonga that is ready to be processed, but we need guidance on the level of information required.  Most importantly, we need clear direction on why we would host a database.  The kaupapa of data sovereignty and the Local Context’s Traditional Knowledge Notices were also investigated. This will be an ongoing kaupapa.

Drawing on our broader networks:  We have been working closely with several external networks, including people or groups we have whakapapa ties with.  We also have been liaising closely with other research networks such as universities or wānanga, and other tribes who have experienced or are undergoing marae restoration work.  A highlight was a presentation by one of our whānau members living in Canada and sharing their experiences.  The whānau from Canada participated in the wānanga, which included an exchange of cultural taonga and gifts to deepen the connection of storytelling and spiritual and whānau bonds.

This kaupapa is part of an intergenerational process started by our ancestors and will continue through our mokopuna.  This is a snapshot of gathering mātauranga, developing whānau, and understanding our strengths and limitations more as we work towards rebuilding our whare tīpuna in a changing climate.

“Ko au ko te moana. Ko te moana ko au”

“I am the ocean. The ocean is me”

Acknowledgements

Ngā mihi maioha ki taku whānau o Tauranga Moana mō te tautoko o tēnei rangahau. Ki ngā tangata o Ngāi Te Rangi, ko Ngāti Ranginui, ko Ngāti Pūkenga, tēnā koutou. Ka nui te mihi ki Te Kōmata o Te Tonga rātou ko Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, Te Poti o Tauranga, he mea tautāwhi ā ngā iwi o Tauranga Moana hei tiaki te kaupapa. Ngā mihi mahana hoki au ki ngā tohu o te moana nei.

I acknowledge and deeply thank my wider family of Tauranga Moana for the ongoing support for this research, the people of Ngāī Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāti Pukenga. I greatly thank the Deep South Challenge team, my supervisors at University of Waikato and the Port of Tauranga who have supported me and the people of Tauranga Moana to implement this project. I also pay my warmest respects to the guidance of the moana. 

Introduction

This research fundamentally stems from the aspirations of Tauranga Moana iwi, who have observed the localised decline of taonga marine species over many generations. A key priority for the research was to provide an access pathway to share and enable mana whenua to collect pēpi kōura during the most vulnerable stage of life, on-grow them using aquaculture, study their behaviours and nutritional requirements and to prepare to rehabilitate them for release back to the wild.

The anecdotal evidence of mana whenua and the scientific monitoring, tells us the kōura population in Tauranga Moana has declined. These concerns are supported by baseline monitoring carried out in 2013 and the consequent surveys carried out in 2022/23 that used mātauranga Māori and marine science to identify kōura distribution, abundance and sizing in the Tauranga Moana Mātaitai Reserve.

This research is guided by the ‘Te Toka Tū Moana Framework’ developed to begin the project with a guiding set of tikanga – ethics (Figure 2). The framework critically positions mātauranga ā iwi and marine science methods as key drivers to establishing a unique methodology for marine research. It provides the backbone for this research that supports a transdisciplinary approach led by mātauranga Māori. It draws on concepts of reciprocity and responsibility. It offers transformational insight into meaningful collective research and management of a taonga species.

Figure 2. Te Toka Tū Moana research framework that draws on values and principles that support collaboration, active research, understanding different worldviews and empowering active kaitiakitanga.

Development of the research was led and done in partnership with iwi of Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui and Ngāti Pūkenga through the Tauranga Moana Iwi Customary Fisheries forum. We met with iwi and partners to discuss and agree on specific co-development and co-implementation planning, roles and responsibilities.

This research was led by Tauranga Moana Iwi as an effective collaboration with other organisations, the University of Waikato and the Port of Tauranga; intergenerational sharing and learning between kuia, koroua, pakeke, rangatahi and tamariki; and collaborative Iwi engagements across the Bay of Plenty via the Mai i ngā Kurī ā Whārei Fisheries Forum. We are now sharing our methods with other iwi such as Ngāti Wai in the far north to enable other iwi to learn from what we have found successful.

Iwi Engagement and Wānanga

A key highlight of this project was engaging with our people using an intergenerational learning approach to wānanga. For our first wānanga, participants included tamariki, rangatahi, pakeke, kuia, koroua, research partners, and DSC staff. We used different methods of sharing the research including discussions in the wharenui, a live display of pēpi kōura collectors and a live display of a pēpi kōura inside an aerated tank.

We have also shared our learnings through education sessions with tamariki at Te Kura o Matapihi where they looked after a pēpi kōura in class for one term. They learnt about pēpi kōura biology, care, feeding, water quality testing and the effects of climate change.

Through the DSC Impact Grant, the project provided for two young wahine rangatahi Te Paea Ririnui-Hennings and Pikitia Ririnui-Hennings majoring in aquaculture to be a part of the research to further develop capacity in aquaculture for our next generation of Māori marine experts. They are now applying their learnings from kōura aquaculture for their own future research projects. More recently, the university employed Reitemanava Walker as an intern in the project who also decided to enrol in a marine science degree which is another fantastic outcome of this project. Te Paea and Pikitia also became part of the Toi Rito, Toi Rangatira rangatahi leadership proramme within the DSC. 

These young wahine have been an integral part of my team doing fieldwork, lab work, and aquaculture husbandry. They are all either enrolled or have completed marine science degrees.

Mātauranga Based Collectors

I co-developed a monitoring plan with research partners to test mātauranga based collection methods. I presented a project update; the construction of mātauranga based collectors which was inspired by the tāruke traditional Māori craypot re-designed as a kohanga to collect pēpi kōura; Together we reduced the number of monitoring sites to a selection of the highest producing collection sites within Tauranga Harbour. Similar to the traditional craypot catch method, pēpi kōura have the ability to escape the collector. These are designed and constructed as a kohanga – nursery that provides a shelter that they can also escape from. 

Workshops were held at the University of Waikato to fine tune the mātauranga based collection ideas which began the creation of the new collectors with two kuia who shared their rāranga and innovative expertise. 

As part of my project reporting I regularly met with Iwi partners in this research to report my research results and findings. I have met with Iwi on Sunday 9^th June and continue to meet with them regularly as I continue fieldwork for the mātauranga based collectors through the peak recruitment period of June – August (see the following description and Figure 7). 

Figure 7. Pēpi kōura recruitment season of monitoring crevice collectors between June 2022 – June 2024

The mātauranga based collectors are currently being trialled to test comparative efficiency alongside the contemporary crevice collectors. At this stage, both methods of collectors have nil results for the comparative study. However, the mātauranga collectors are withstanding tidal conditions and we expect to see some results over the next two weeks. We are currently approaching the best season for collecting pēpi kōura from the wild and I have confidence in receiving further results shortly. We are monitoring the collectors weekly to have a robust data set during the peak recruitment period for pēpi kōura. Based on the past two years of monitoring the crevice collectors, results show that the months of June, July, and August is the peak period for collector use (Figure 7).

Aquaculture Research and Development

A key highlight of the project was the research and development to create two of our own recirculating aquaculture systems. The first recirculating aquaculture system that we designed and built from scratch included 3 large 60 litre holding tanks to house pēpi kōura as they grew larger. The second recirculating aquaculture system was for 15 smaller pēpi kōura that were kept inside separated 12 litre small tanks. The second system is also going to be used for my final year of PhD study to run nutritional experiments to determine the best diet for pēpi kōura to grow and release to the wild. This will be a feeding trial testing different diets of kina –Evechinus chloroticus, Kutai – Perna canaliculus and manufactured food pellets (primarily made from shrimp).

Dissemination of Findings

Throughout the duration of this DSC project, I have done several presentations to my iwi partners, external organisations, school groups, regional council. This report forms the basis of a summary booklet that can be shared externally. As I fulfil my PhD study which has one more year to completion, I will also have the resulting thesis which can be later included as a part of the dissemination of findings. I have also had discussions with my University of Waikato supervisors about continuing this research into a post doctorate study to conduct further research into releasing pēpi kōura back to the wild. Once I have completed my PhD, there will be more opportunities for publishing journal articles. 

We also established an Instagram platform developed by rangatahi as a means of utilising social media to record and share learnings in relation to the entire study. As my studies continue I will further develop this summary of findings for presenting findings internally and externally.

Noho ora mai, 

Kia Māia Ellis

Project Lead

Te Kōmata o Te Tonga, the Deep South National Science Challenge has now ended. Coinciding with Matariki, all of the National Science Challenges wrapped up their decade-long mahi on 30 June 2024, exploring some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s biggest and most complex questions.

These research platforms have been responsible for producing hundreds of papers, videos, podcasts, book chapters, webinars, symposia and conferences – alongside countless community engagements. The sheer weight of knowledge/mātauranga developed since their 2014 inception is incredible.

Questions are already being asked in multiple formats by smart people connected to our foundational science systems: what next? Our own concerns about the “funding cliff” and the current loss of experienced people overseas as decisions are made to collapse certain areas of critical discovery, are well documented. The fact is we need multiple different and complementary approaches to science and research if we are going to tackle what’s coming. And that’s not only true of climate change adaptation, which was the DSC’s remit – but of all the complex issues in our society and culture that were the focus of the Challenge mahi. But, we don’t need to get back into all of that here.

We’d rather celebrate.

First, the team at the DSC would like to thank our Kāhui, Governance Group, Representative User Group, Independent Science Panel, Challenge Leadership Team and everyone who worked on the Deep South Challenge engine to make it go.

But of course, the biggest and most profound mihi must go to our researchers.

The explorations undertaken as part of the Deep South Challenge have consistently wowed us. We have learned more, had more insights, discussed this with so many end-users, had more surges of joy and optimism (and had more sleepless nights) than we would have thought possible at the start of this endeavour.

Our researchers have worked extremely hard to develop and communicate fresh findings year on year. The country now knows more about how insurance, intergenerationality, water use, coastal flooding, clouds and aerosols, marae and hapū communities intersect with the big climate change adaptation questions of our time, as well as how people and place come together to answer them. And that’s just for starters – the DSC touched on more sectors, systems and communities than we can list here – reflecting climate change’s reach across all aspects of our economy, society and culture.

While we have enough information to get on with adaptation now – and while we urgently need to – the research and understanding still needed is immense. With that said, we can be sure that regardless of how adaptation research and action gets funded (or in the case of many community groups, whether it gets funded at all) it will go on. The passion and commitment of our researchers, the strength of their networks, their whanaungatanga and the brightness of their ahi kaa tells us that an official platform is a great thing, but that the impulse to go on amassing knowledge and building understanding transcends anything that any government or organisational system might do.

This provides a reason for hope.

Again: there’s been too much good work across all of our research streams to provide a comprehensive list here; Vision Mātauranga, Impacts & Adaptation, Processes & Observations and Earth System Modelling & Prediction have all produced incredible work. But, there’s always highlights.

If you haven’t caught it since its launch on 24 June 2024 the latest research across the Vision Mātauranga is highlighted in the impressive season two of our Ko Papa Ko Rangi podcast, Ahi Kaa. Recorded by our Kaitakawaenga Nadine Hura with in-studio support from our Challenge Pou Tikanga Ruia Aperahama. Ahi Kaa is hosted by the Spinoff Podcast Network.

From our Impacts & Adaptation stream, check out some of the talks and panels from our Adapting Aotearoa symposium in 2023, which brought together climate change researchers and the primary sector to look for a way forward on adaptation. Where radicalism meets incrementalism; this makes for really interesting watching, listening and – via a comprehensive symposium report – reading.

Our Processes and Observations, and Earth System Modelling programmes have pushed our understanding of key climate drivers in our region and globally.  That work is making its way into the Global Climate Models that provide the foundational understanding for international and domestic climate change impacts, from improved representation of freezing nuclei in the Unified Model, to pushing the limits of our understanding of the impact of ice shelf melt, to informing guidance to understand regional changes in future extreme rainfall.

It probably can’t be overstated, but this really does only scratch the surface of a decade’s hard work and dedication from so many connected to and brought into the DSC fold. Our website will remain live and online for another 10 years, and all of the academic papers and similar collateral produced by our team and researchers will reside in an online Figshare repository also. We hope that you’ll explore both – but know that if you do, you better pack a lunch. There’s a lot of good stuff in here.

The kaitiaki of our channels, materials and brand becomes the responsibility of the Challenge host, NIWA, from 30 June 2024. Thank you to NIWA for being such a great host

From us at Te Kōmata o Te Tonga the Deep South National Science Challenge, ngā mihi nui kia koe.

This research report storys the project titled Kai ora: Restoring local Maori food systems. In the wider context of exploring and restoring local food systems as a means of climate action, this research takes shape in the Southern Kaipara. Led by Southern Kaipara marae, Te Aroha Pā, Te Kia Ora, and Rewiti, their marae researchers, and supported by the Toi Tangata research team, this research explores the kai stories, memories and experiences of Kaipara kaumātua. 

This project is underpinned by whakapapa and whanaungatanga, calling forth an expansive view of kai, and the many layers of whanaungatanga that constitute kai, with an emphasis on te taiao. The research process was guided by Kaupapa Māori research, centering marae, whānau and knowledge production through whanaungatanga, wānanga and lived experience. 

Three wānanga were held with kaumātua around the summer of 2023/2024. These were led by the marae researchers, who were well known and trusted members of the whānau. Four key themes were identified from the wānanga. The first two themes were Kaipara Moana Kaipara Whenua, reflecting the importance of place, and Kaipara Whānau, reflecting the importance of people and community. In these discussions, kaumatua also spoke to how, in recent times, their intimate relationships with the moana, whenua, and whānau, had been disrupted. This shaped the following two themes: damage and disruption of Kaipara Moana Kaipara Whenua, and the disruption of Kaipara Whānau.

The stories, memories and knowledge shared by kaumatua contain rich insight into the intergenerational relationships that constitute Kaipara lands, waters, and whānau. These stories are an important reminder of the way that kai, and the wider local food systems, are foundational to the ways that whānau relate to te taiao. Kaumātua stories exemplify the way that intimate intergenerational relationships with te taiao, and the knowledge that emerges from these relationships (mātauranga Māori), allow us to understand deeply, the impacts of climate change. 

Kaumātua stories remind us explicitly that with worldviews and ways of life centered on whanaungatanga, whānau have always been adapting to changing contexts, have long been engaging with climate change, and know best how to enact climate action within their local environments. In having long standing intergenerational relationships with the Kaipara, whānau and marae are the experts on their lands and waters. In turn, kaumātua stories guide the conceptualisation of climate action in the following ways: centering mātauranga Māori, naming damage and disruption, being present with lands and waters, and honouring the mana of whānau and marae.

Moutoa Island 

Situated at Rānana on the Whanganui River, Moutoa Island holds significant cultural value as a Māori reservation, wāhi tapu, and historic site for our hapū and Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi iwi. The land trustees of Moutoa Island also govern Rānana Marae and other lands of Rānana and Ngārākauwhakarāra, and Moutoa is characterised by its shingle terrain hosting a mix of native and exotic flora.

Research Pātai

The main query driving the Moutoa Island Restoration Project’s endeavours was centred around the adaptability of Tupua Te Kawa and He Toi Taiao frameworks in addressing the uncertainties arising from climate extremes and their effects on Moutoa Island. These frameworks held significance in understanding the impacts of climate variations on this culturally significant wāhi tapu.

Tupua Te Kawa: The values inherent in Te Awa Tupua framework underscores the essential relationship between the Whanganui River, its tributaries, and the people. Discussions within the group revolved around the importance of water and earth in maintaining Moutoa Island’s sanctity, connectivity between the taonga, the Island, and its inhabitants, and the communal responsibility in ensuring the well-being of Moutoa and the Awa.

He Toi Taiao: Derived from the aspirations framework of Ngāti Ruaka, He Toi Taiao focuses on environmental well-being themes, outcomes, and indicators pertinent to the hapū. Through the project, additional indicators were proposed and adopted, particularly emphasising on areas such as the health of the Whanganui River, sustainable land management, protection of sites of significance, food sustainability, and resilience of the community against environmental threats.

The application and analysis of Tupua Te Kawa and He Toi Taiao frameworks with regard to Moutoa Island showcased their adaptability in addressing the challenges posed by climate extremes. The subsequent project milestones included research wānanga, oral history collections, collaboration with external repositories, engagement with environmental experts to gather data on climate change, and the practical application of learnings in activities such as native plant cultivation, traditional harvesting practices, and environmental health surveys.

Milestones

• Milestone 1: Involved conducting research through 24 wānanga sessions. These sessions included engaging with oral stories from kuia and koroheke, learning about Moutoa Island, using technology for documentation, practising cultural traditions, discussing climate change and pollution impact, and participating in traditional mahinga kai activities.
• Milestone 2: Focused on analysing oral recordings of interviews with kuia and koroheke to extract themes related to Moutoa Island, such as mahinga kai, recreation, wāhi tapu, and the impact of colonisation and climate change.
• Milestone 3: Involved gathering historical artifacts and information from different institutions and organisations related to Moutoa Island and the Battle of Moutoa.
• Milestone 4: Included collaborating with scientists and environmental experts to collect data on climate change, risks, and management strategies for Moutoa Island. Plans were made to replace exotic trees with native species and utilise drones for data collection.
• Milestone 5: Saw the application of research learnings by planting native seeds, preparing for adverse weather conditions, learning traditional practices, revitalising fishing techniques, and focusing on conservation efforts.
• Milestone 6: Included creating a hapū map of Moutoa Island, cataloguing collected artifacts and experiences, and developing an interactive map governed by Ngāti Ruaka hapū.
• Milestone 7: Involved reporting on wānanga highlights monthly to the hapū and quarterly to Te Kōmata o Te Tonga, showcasing research findings at various hui, conferences, and symposia, and involvement in leadership programmes and community events for knowledge sharing.

Moving forward, we intend to continue our mahi beyond the project timeline, focusing on initiatives like launching an interactive hapū map for Moutoa Island, enhancing our understanding of the hapū maramataka, promoting native plant growth, contributing to a written history of the island, and actively participating in hapū activities to ensure ongoing tiakitanga.