Realising rangatiratanga to support kaitiakitanga and kaitiaki-led monitoring and reporting systems

In August 2020, New Zealand’s Cabinet approved ‘Te Mana o te Taiao – Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2020’ as the strategic framework for biodiversity protection, restoration, and sustainable use over the next 30 years. The strategy sets national goals and pathways to meet both national and international biodiversity targets, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based data.

The strategy elevates rangatiratanga (Māori self-determination) and kaitiakitanga (Māori environmental guardianship), guided by mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge systems), recognizing their crucial roles in its success. A study aimed to understand the perspectives of kaitiaki (Māori environmental guardians) on whether the necessary conditions existed for these principles to be effectively implemented and what changes might be needed.

Two wānanga (workshops) were held and six case studies on kaitiaki-led biodiversity monitoring and reporting frameworks were conducted between 2022 and 2024. Key questions that emerged included: whose ‘mana’ was being prioritized in the strategy, and how rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga would be embodied and enabled through its implementation.