First Kaitiakitanga Project hui

Earlier in July, Sam Johnson – our Manager – and Matua Winiwini Kingi – our Kairāranga – attended a hui for the Kaitiakitanga Project, the very first hui since this kaupapa was established.

The Kaitiakitanga Project is a 3-year pilot programme initiated by Predator Free 2050 Limited in 2024 to boost te ao Māori and mātauranga (Māori ancestral knowledge) in the three participant Predator Free landscape projects.

The Kaitiakitanga Project hui, held in Wellsford and hosted by the local project Poipoia te Kākano – Te Uri o Hau, was a showcase of kaupapa Māori in action, highlighting the uniqueness of the Predator Free 2050 initiative across diverse landscapes.

Each landscape project shared their unique mahi, reflecting the deep relationship between communities and their environments. A common thread emerged from all projects: te āo Māori working alongside Western science, with mātauranga Māori at the heart. This included te reo Māori, manaakitanga, karakia, whakapapa and expressions of local tikanga.

The other two landscape projects in the Kaitiakitanga Project are mana whenua-led (whakapapa to their rohe) and haukāinga/ ahi ka (living on the whenua):

Tū Mai Taonga – Ngāti Rehua / Ngāti Wai

Location: Aotea (Great Barrier Island)

Focus: Landscape restoration and cultural protection

Kaupapa: To protect the ecological integrity and cultural significance of wāhi tapu sites across Aotea by eliminating feral cats, with a focus on safeguarding taonga species—particularly ocean-going seabirds—and preserving their ancestral landscapes.

Poipoia te Kākano – Te Uri o Hau, Ngāti Whātua

Region: Kaipara District

Focus: Taiao (environmental wellbeing and regeneration)

Kaupapa: A wide-reaching environmental initiative rooted in kaitiakitanga, focused on restoring the natural balance of the Kaipara region through native planting and iwi-led ecological leadership. This kaupapa also embraces collaborative responses to whale strandings alongside other iwi, and incorporates rongoā Māori practices in addressing Kauri dieback, weaving together mātauranga and manaakitanga for holistic ecosystem care.

Our Kaitiakitanga project

At Predator Free Whangārei and Pēwhairangi Whānui, the Kaitiakitanga Project is unique. Our Kairāranga, Matua Winiwini, helps our non-Māori kaimahi to learn how to embrace mātauranga (Māori knowledge) and embed te ao Māori (Māori worldview) into their programme delivery and supports hapū-led projects as a kaumatua. Communication and engagement with our projects are at the core of the mahi, and some key responsibilities include:

– Use of te reo Māori – promoting the language
– Mātauranga Māori
– Local Knowledge of te taiao
– Whakapapa – genealogical connections
– Understanding group dynamics – guiding how whānau, hapū, and iwi function and relate

Matua Winiwini Kingi is a Kaumatua/Matua on behalf of:

Ngāti Rehia, Ngāti Torohina, Te Hikutu, Patu Keha, Ngāti Kuta, Ngāti Manu, Te Kapotai, Te Waiariki, Ngāti Kororā, Ngāti Takapari, Ngāti Tu, Te Parawhau, me Te Kahu o Torongare ngā hapū.

Hui highlights

We had presentations from the three projects with updates, learnings and challenges, and got to visit our haukāinga (host) project Poipoia te Kākano depot and a couple of sites where they are delivering their mahi. “We enjoyed the opportunity to meet kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face). It helps deepening the relationship and breeds trusts in one another and in the Kaitiakitanga Project itself”, shares Sam.

We also brainstormed some ideas for Predator Free 2050 Limited to present at the next hui with Te Papa Atawhai (Department of Conservation) during the transition.

Some of the kōrero and challenges discussed: