He Taonga Kē Ngā Kaumātua: Kaumātua Perspectives of te Taiao, Ngahere and Taonga Species

Māori cultural beliefs, values and practices are intimately connected to te taiao, the natural environment. While te taiao is of unique cultural significance, contemporary Māori live in diverse realities, so beliefs, values and behaviour cannot be viewed through a singular lens. Within Māori society, older Māori are often referred to as kaumatua, who are valued by their communities for the intergenerational transfer of knowledge and afforded respect and recognition. Consequently, kaumatua perspectives of te taiao, including how it has changed during their time and considerations for the future, are important for informing Māori understandings of the environment. Using a wānanga-based approach (using meetings centred on Māori social or political issues and knowledge), we obtained the perspectives of a group of kaumatua from the Horowhenua region, who discussed their perspectives of te taiao. Four key themes were constructed from the wānanga: remembering our old people, remembering our childhood, the present, and the future. We discuss these themes in the present article and reflect on their implications for enhancing and informing initiatives focussed on biosecurity protection of taonga (heritage) species in Aotearoa New Zealand.