Date: 11-12 April, 2024

Place: Takapūwāhia Marae, Porirua

Tiaki Mai, Tiaki Atu

As the Deep South Challenge comes to an end, its important to create space for us to reflect on the past, discuss the present and move forward into the future. We will be graciously hosted by Ngati Toa (Te Ara o Raukawa Moana), at Takapūwāhia marae, with ample space to explore our kaupapa and rest our heads.

Programme

This gathering brings together those involved in our community based research into adaptation. The two days involve an inspiring line up of activities designed to share learnings, build connections, and spark discussions. Day One includes a tour of sites of significance for our hosts Ngati Toa, including discussion of their research as part of Te Ara o Raukawa Moana, and a showcase of the mahi done as part of Toi Rito, Toi Rangatira. Day Two includes a morning of creative workshopping, followed by an afternoon visit to the Living Pā and the work done as part of He Pā Mataora.

While we are still finalising the programme, please explore the programme below for an outline of the day. More details will be added as we get closer to the gathering.

Day One

Day Two

With thanks to…

We couldn’t have pulled together this event without the support of our hosts and collaborators:

• Te Ara o Raukawa Moana, Ngati Toa Rangatira and everyone at Takapūwāhia Marae
• He pā mataora and Te Herenga Waka
• Qiane Matata-Sipu
• 5ever Press
• Tagata moana
• Al Fraser
• All the researchers and their collaborators who are joining us from across the country. The event wouldn’t be happening without you!

Whakataukī

The name Tiaki mai, Tiaki atu comes from a whakataukī gifted by Ruia Aperahama, our Pou Tikanga, to guide our storytelling. You can learn more about the background and the guiding themes here.

Funding document

We have made an effort to pull together what information we can about funding avenues from a variety of different sources but know we definitely will not have captured everything! We know there is more out there, and that you will know about things we don’t. Please share any opportunities you know of, and we can add to this document after Tiaki Mai Tiaki Atu. Funding rounds currently open for applications are highlighted green.

“Ruia Taitea, Ruia Taitea, Kia tū ko taikaha anake”

Toi Rito, Toi Rangatira is a 5-month climate adaptation leadership programme for rangatahi Māori working with, or connected to, currently-funded Deep South Research projects. Focused on growing intergenerational capacity, supporting potential, and activating the succession planning of Rangatahi Māori, this program seeks to provide a range of opportunities. It also builds on the obligation to uplift rangatahi to be intergenerational change-makers that ensure ngā mana atua, ngā mana taiao, and ngā mana tāngata are sustained for future generations.

Toi Rito, Toi Rangatahi will support rangatahi Māori who are deeply committed to working with and for hapū climate adapatation research and action. We are inviting our 14 DSC research teams to nominate rangatahi from within their networks who would benefit from contributing to and learning from this programme. 

“Climate change is an intergenerational challenge, therefore it requires an intergenerational solution“

The programme is co-led by our Pou Tikanga Ruia Aperahama and Rangatahi Programme Coordinator, Tyra Begbie. The Kaitakawaenga, DSC and Kāhui Māori will provide wrap-around guidance and implementation support. Research teams are asked to provide pastoral support to rangatahi as required and keep in contact with the programme leads should any concerns arise at any point.

A mini symposium was held in Wellington 9 March 2023 to mark 10 years since New Zealand introduced dynamic adaptive pathways planning (DAPP) approaches for addressing the new climate reality and to share research and practice experience and to discuss where to next. This builds on a 10-year collaboration between Deltares, The Netherlands and the Climate Change Research Institute at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of New Zealand, with support from the Deep South Science Challenge, the Resilience to Nature’s Challenges Science Challenge and Ministry for the Environment.

The mini-symposium was broken into four sessions—setting the context (why and how); sharing applications from New Zealand and elsewhere (what); discussing lessons learned (experience) ; advancing methods, assessment, engagement and implementation (where to).

The sixty-four participants (including fourteen online) were from research institutions and universities, local and regional government, consultant companies, crown and government agencies with experience in developing decision making under deep uncertainty (DMDU) methods, using the methods and implementing the outputs from using them. Four international researchers also attended including the developers of the DAPP and other DMDU methods from the Netherlands, a researcher and user from Boston USA applying DAPP in a cities context,  and a researcher from Denmark applying DAPP at different scales for infrastructure planning under a changing climate (the full attendee list attached).

Two presentations set the scene. One discussed the role that deep uncertainty tools can play for decision making in a changing climate reality and why we use them, and the other covered the New Zealand context and how the decision tools were socialised into New Zealand and what enabled this to happen. The report and a slide set from the mini-symposium is available here.

The impact of changing snowfall on water flow, irrigation, energy supply and our very relationship with our rivers

Here in Aotearoa, we’ve tended to treat water as a resource that will never run dry.

We’ve built an energy network dependent on consistent lake levels and we’ve turned drylands into arable landscapes using irrigation. Snow fall in our mountain regions feeds our largest hydro-electric power schemes, and provides critical water – especially during drought. We’ve followed the principal that almost all water is available to use, and haven’t thought enough about how much water the river itself requires, or the lifeforms it sustains. Water has looked after us, but have we looked after it? Do we know enough about where this water comes from and how its changing with our climate?

With climate change seriously impacting how much it snows and rains, and how long snow remains in the mountains, we need to think more carefully about the way we relate to our rivers – from their source in the mountains all the way to the coast, and beyond.

There is much to learn from mātauranga Māori, and in this webinar, Riki Ellison (Ngāi Tahu), will speak to the work he has done over years towards establishing Te Mana o Te Wai, a concept highlighting how by protecting freshwater, we protect our future. Riki will be joined by Todd Redpath and Jen Purdie, two Deep South Challenge researchers, to discuss how we relate to water now and in years to come.

We’ll also hear directly from Jen and Todd. Todd Redpath’s research examines an often overlooked component of the water cycle: the large amount of water that is actually stored as snow or ice in our mountains. Snow makes a crucial contribution to many of our largest catchments, but until recently it has been poorly understood and poorly modelled, making the management of precious water a difficult task.

Looking towards the future, Jen Purdie’s research looks at how climate change, including water and snow melt as well as irrigation pumping load under drought, may impact electricity demand and supply. This is particularly relevant to the proposed pumped hydro scheme at Lake Onslow.

Our ability to both reduce our carbon emissions and adapt to the climate change already locked in depends in large part on the health and future of our rivers. We invite you to join us in this important conversation that truly flows from the source to the tap.

We’re pleased to share our newest infosheet, Ocean data to support adaptation. Designed for use by anyone interested in biophysical climate projections of the future ocean around Aotearoa. If, for example, you are interested or involved in marine spatial planning, marine primary industries, or research into the impacts of climate change on the takutai moana, marine species and distributions, this infosheet will help you navigate data produced by the Deep South Challenge.

These data could be used:

• to assess the impact of climate change on the viability of potential aquaculture sites, and marine spatial planning
• to compare relative stressors on particular marine species
• to analyse climate-related risks to fisheries and aquaculture businesses
• for research purposes: e.g. Predicting the effects of climate change on deep-water coral distribution around New Zealand.

We’ve found these data useful for predicting the water temperature at our existing aquaculture sites and for providing guidance into siting new farms… Being able to predict water temperatures over the lifetime of a resource consent ensures that the site will not become too warm to farm as the climate changes.

Aquaculture planner

In August 2022, Ruia Aperahama took on the role of Pou Tikanga for Te Kōmata o Te Tonga, the Deep South Challenge. Here he tells us a story, weaving together his background with the work he is supporting the Challenge to do.

Let me share a story with you…

It was a scorching 80’s summer day when our newlywed, fire-red-headed, pākeha sister-in-law took our baby nephew’s soiled disposable nappies out to the back of our house to a makeshift incinerator. She put them to flame. Our usually gentle father saw this and furiously charged out, growling sharply at her in Māori, frantically dowsing the fire with great irritation, then directed his frustration at our newlywed brother.  With inconsolable tears she broke down not knowing what ‘crime’ or ‘offense’ she had just ignorantly committed.

At a family gathering many years later while reminiscing about those early years, I asked her  while we enjoyed a steaming-hot, freshly earth cooked hāngī, if she remembered that harrowing nerve-wrecking moment and, more importantly, did our brother prudently explain to her why our father was so greatly upset. Our brother had failed to do so; conveniently dropping his fork with annoying haste he replied, “That’s the old ways! Dad was living in the past with his old superstitions and outdated ways! It’s a new world now. Progress.”

This is what our father shouted with enmity.

“Auē! Kei kino i a koe a Ranginui! Tō te whenua ki te whenua! Kei pau i te kāpura, me tanu kē! Auē taukiri e”!

“Oh no! Don’t harm sky father! What’s of the land must go back to the land! Don’t burn it, bury it! Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!

Dad was raised in an isolated, far north, sole Māori speaking, close-knit fishing village, where every ecological sign, relationship and connection was observed, revered and utilized. Reciprocity. They always asked before they took from life, and returned something of equal value or more in return as the first offering.  They were organically living off the grid way before it became fashionable. They could smell the subtle changes of temperature and tell how many days or hours it would be before it rained by the behavior of insects, birds, fish and animals. Many of them were illiterate by western standards yet were well versed in the ‘alphabet’ of seasonal life around them. Every evening our elders always sat in a huge circle like vigilant sentinels hugging the walls of our communal house, while the whole community, like a blazing fire in the centre, sat in the middle. They spoke about life through songs, symbols and metaphors with adoration, honour, celebration and respect, retelling of past generations activities and of ancient tribal histories. This way of living and more importantly their reverence for life and death has diminished over time, and in some instances has disappeared altogether.

They were organically living off the grid way before it became fashionable. They could smell the subtle changes of temperature and tell how many days or hours it would be before it rained by the behaviour of insects, birds, fish and animals.

I also grew up in Rātana Pā, a Māori pan tribal community founded on an indigenous religious and political movement inspired by 1920’s Māori prophet and healer, TW Rātana. He unassumingly but powerfully revolutionised Māori spiritual and political participation and engagement that revived Te Tiriti o Waitangi from out of NZ’s amnesia. My background also comes from 34 years of Education from new entrants to adult education, in mainstream and Māori medium pathways. I’m a devoted musician and visual artist, which are my real passions. I also value the ripple effect of influence.

When Covid-19 began permeating our global fabric of ‘normality’, impacting communication commerce and travel, I was invited to join Professor Sandy Morrison, Dr Darren King, Dr Shaun Awatere, Dr Naomi Simmonds on the Kāhui Māori Te Kōmata o Te Tonga – the Māori advisory team to the Deep South Challenge governance board. Then in July this year I was appointed as Pou Tikanga – providing cultural support to our amazing Te Taura and Te Aho teams alongside two super-mums; wordsmith artist and communicator Nadine Hura and Mana Wāhine grassroots mover and shaker Naomi Simmonds. As kakitakawaenga they are intra-relationship weavers among whānau hapū and iwi researchers and scientists. I really love working with Nadine and Naomi because they genuinely understand the value of clear modest support and careful gentle navigating of communications and relationships with quality cultural and spiritual experience and advice. Herein is my primary focus, commitment and responsibility.

Furthermore, I love working with the broader engagement and leadership team; Angela Halliday, Zoe Heine, Alexandra Keeble, Kate Turner, Carolyn O’Brien, Mark Webley, Maximillian Scott-Murray and Phil Wiles. At Pātaka Museum we workshopped from despair to hope using Edward De Bono’s six hats, landing on Kingi Tāwhiao’s (Second Māori King) symbolic hat of response to colonization through spiritual potential, hope, optimism and emotional resilience. At Māranui Surf Club in Wellington’s Lyall Bay, we explored appreciation through art, music, meditation and creativity to connect, empathise, relate and resonate with one another while subconsciously learning three karakia and a pao, or waiata, I had composed during my flight to Wellington that morning. While enjoying, contemplating, meditating and reflecting on the natural beach, sea and air, I also wanted to provide pragmatic activities to my ongoing support.

I feel privileged to share these cultural values with our engagement teams over the next two years. ‘Climate change’ is an intergenerational problem, and it requires intergenerational solutions. While seemingly steeped in fear, scarcity, hopelessness and despair, it can also be an opportunity to reawaken desire, hope, innovation, inspiration and creativity through communications, messaging and relationships with all of our research communities.

‘Climate change’ is an intergenerational problem, and it requires intergenerational solutions.

Finally, As sons and daughters of our not so perfect but progressive country we call ‘home’, there is much to improve on in so many spaces, yet much to be extremely grateful for. I am amazed at the collective heart, caliber, skills and experience of the Deep South Challenge Engagement Teams. I have great hope because of this.

So then…was my father superstitious and outdated in his old ways? I’ll leave that for you to decide. As for my brother and sister in law, they too have grown and changed their views over time. It seems we are all work in progress.

In a series of short profiles we are spotlighting the work of our engagement team with a focus on how they are available to support our researchers.

Alexandra Keeble is our Engagement Team Co-Lead. She supports the whole engagement team to be equitable, efficient and effective in our work. She has a wealth of knowledge she is always happy to share on communications and storytelling.

Alexandra Keeble

Nō hea koe?

Nō Ateria, Tiamana, Kōtimana me Aerani ōku tūpuna. Nō Īnia tōku matakēkē me ētahi o ōku tuākana. I tipu ake au i runga i te whenua tapu o te iwi Wirudjeri, arā kō Naarm (Poi Piripi), i te whenua moemoeā. With my European ancestors, I grew up in Naarm (Melbourne), in and on the Birrarung River, and in and around the Bunurong Coast (South Gippsland).

I came to Aotearoa in 2008, after working and living in Cuba, the United States and on Larrakia Country (Darwin). I’ve worked as just about everything, from a mud crab farmer to a community organiser, from a film producer to a publisher. I’ve never been paid a wage to work as a poet or fiction writer, but imagine that!

I’m lucky enough to live in Pari-ā-rua, on unceded Ngāti Toa whenua, with my partner, our three kids, dog and countless tiu, tūī, rūrū, kāwau, kōtare, blackbirds, starlings, tauhou and gulls, some of whom turn up at our window every day for a feed.

When did you join the DSC and how do you describe what you do in one sentence?

I started in the Challenge in 2017, when the Engagement Team was much smaller. These days I work in the background, looking for ways to use our time and resources in ways that are equitable, effective, collaborative and efficient.

Why might a researcher want to get in touch with you?

I’m both a big picture person, and someone who likes getting my hands dirty. If you want to think about strategy (for anything, from funding to adaptation to communications and engagement), I might be useful to speak to. I have lots of media contacts, and lots of experience with different forms and formats for storytelling. Depending on what else is going on, I also love supporting you to tell your stories in your own ways (this could be through workshopping ideas, or organising relevant support, or ghost writing or editing/proofing, for example).

When you’re not working at DSC, where are you most likely to be?

Collecting kaimoana with the kids, up the bush pulling out asparagus weed, gasbagging with family, on writing retreats with mates, watching my partner dig the garden (it’s hard work but someone’s gotta do it), or somewhere with my head in a book.

How can people find you, and what’s your availability like

I work part time and in hours that suit my family (during school hours, and late at night…), so email is the best bet for first contact. That said, I love to talk, so give me a call.

Contact me on: [email protected]

In a series of short profiles we are spotlighting the work of our engagement team with a focus on how they are available to support our researchers.

Zoe Heine is our Communications Advisor. She works on our communications great and small, including helping researchers share their stories.

Ko wai koe?

He uri tēnei o ngā tangata tiriti. Nō Tiamana, nō Sheltland Islands, nō Yorkshire ōku tupuna. I whanau mai au i Otautahi. I tipe ake au i Whakatū. I was born in Christchurch and grew up in Nelson not far from the banks of the Maitai River. I have lived in Te-Whanganui-a Tara for the past decade and currently live in a lovely sunny spot on the side of Matairangi with my partner and a very opinionated cat.

When did you join the DSC and how do you describe what you do in one sentence?

I joined in March of this year. I work closely with the rest of the engagement team on our communication products, for example, our public webinars and info sheets.

Why might a researcher want to get in touch with you?

If you’re interested in sharing an aspect of your research we can talk about the best way to communicate it and how the Deep South Challenge might be involved. If you’ve got any upcoming media coverage it is great to hear about it outside of the quarterly reporting so I can share it speedily.

I send out our monthly updates to DSC researchers so let me know if you have something interesting you think we should be sharing with this network. I also keep our website tidy so send any requests for updates my way.

Like Nadine and Alex, I am always interested in chatting about climate change and storytelling.

When you’re not working at DSC, where are you most likely to be?

Working on my PhD on storytelling and sea-level rise in Aotearoa through the Centre for Science in Society at Te Herenga Waka. Otherwise I like to spend my time gardening, swimming in the ocean and drinking tea. But not all three at once!

How can people find you, and what’s your availability like?

I work part time from Tuesday to Friday each week. Email is the best first port of call, [email protected]