Toitoi Manawa - Myrtle Ora Surveillance, Monitoring and Management Strategy

Myrtle Rust impacts on our environment but is also impacted on our native and natural eco- systems. Our strategy plan, “Toitoi Manawa” means to motivate, encourage, incite, and inspire recognising challenging changes we will need to be making. On its own Manawa – means heart, patience, and tolerance.

Our strategy is Myrtle Ora: Surveillance, Monitoring and Management for Tauranga Moana.

The following underpins the operation of the Tauranga Moana Biosecurity Capital – Māori Caucus (the “Māori Caucus”).

1. Endorses the status that tangata whenua have in their respective areas of Tauranga Moana rohe and the Western Bay of Plenty rohe. Specifically, the area north of Bowentown to Otamarakau, Mai i ngā Kurī ā Whārei ki Otamarakau, the Western Bay of Plenty sub-region (referred to hereafter as Tauranga Moana). The hapū/iwi of these areas are the kaitiaki of Mauri in their rohe.
2. Acknowledge and support hapū/iwi who have confirmed their statutory acknowledgements through their Treaty settlements.
3. Build capacity and develop strategies to facilitate Māori leadership and champions around myrtle rust management.
   • Work closely with iwi, hapū, Māori landowners in Tauranga Moana, using kaupapa Māori (Māori methodology).
   • Focus on developing a framework to assess the cultural and environmental impacts of myrtle rust on te ao Māori and to prioritise disease management actions.
   • Develop protocols that support Māori-led methods to boost ecosystems resilience, while advancing research synergies between western science and indigenous knowledge systems.
   • At the end of this project, it will expand international knowledge-sharing on indigenous myrtle rust responses by convening workshops and conferences.

NOTE: This document is an abridged version of our surveillance, monitoring, and management strategy for Tauranga Moana to protect myrtle species from the disease myrtle rust. A copy of our full strategy can be requested from