Mātauranga Māori: shaping marine and freshwater futures

This special issue brings together rich and diverse experiences and opinions on how mātauranga Māori is informing current, and can inform future, research and decision-making in aquatic environments of Aotearoa New Zealand. In this paper, we further describe the unique process of creating this special issue and discuss the guiding principles and emerging ideas from mātauranga Māori in relation to marine and freshwater kaitiakitanga (guardianship).