About this research
Project Summary
Inspired by a little-known Tīkapa mōteatea, He Uru Mānuka, a love lament set among riverside mānuka groves, this project aims to document and culturally map selected Waiapu River locations pairing customary and contemporary technologies. In February 2023 during Cyclone Gabrielle, Waiapu River flooded to a height of 8 metres which exacerbated existing erosion, and further damaged vulnerable cultural and ecological sites. Once-common species utilised in Ngāti Porou lifestyle practices are severely impacted by rapid environmental change, leading to a loss of cultural knowledge. Yet, these practices foster invaluable and mauri-sustaining relationships with our ancestral river.
At a time when land is literally disappearing out to sea, this research aims to ‘restory’ our lifeways, linking creative practices with ecology to perpetuate relationships with the lower reaches of the Waiapu. The project’s core objective is to revitalise cultural practices such as net-making and fish weir building, whilst recording valuable data about environmental impacts on plant and fish species, for ngā hapū o Te Wīwī Nāti.
The project team is drawing on Waiapu maramataka to determine the optimum times to undertake the practical research. Through culturally mapping with the use of contemporary technologies, the research will develop valuable connections between customary narratives of place about pā harakeke, mānuka and kānuka groves and amphidromous fish habitats. The project will create new video and photographic works that will be accessed by our communities and beyond to share the research results.
Research Question
How might cultural mapping and ‘restorying’ interconnected locations and networked species relations reveal healing narratives to foster engagement with the ecological protection of our living world?
Lead Researcher
Dr Natalie Robertson, Ngāti Porou, AUT University
Research Team
Graeme Atkins, Ngāti Porou, Rongomaiwahine, Raukūmara Pae Maunga Restoration Project
Lionel Matenga, Te Whānau a Pōkai
Alex Monteith, Independent
Dr Maree Sheehan, Maniapoto
Dean Savage, Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau
Select Outputs
- Robertson, N. (2023). AWA—Building pā tauremu Fish Weirs in the Waiapu River. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Art, 23(2), 136–145. https://doi.org/10.1080/14434318.2023.2274907
- Robertson N (2023) Recreating pā tauremu stone fish weirs in the Waiapu River. International Indigenous Climate Change Research Summit 2023, Auckland, 14 Nov 2023 - 17 Nov 2023. Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga.
- Robertson, N. (2024). Presentation of He Manako He Pānga Pōuri, He Kōingo — Afflicted with desire, sadness, and yearning. 2024. Alex Monteith, Natalie Robertson, and Marie Sheehan. Single-channel 4K Video projection, with sound, duration 9:58”. Toi Taiao Whakatairanga Ihirangaranga wānanga, Hinerupe Marae, Te Araroa, April 22-25th 2024.
- Robertson, Natalie (2023). Mānukanuka ki Waiorongomai. Apprehension of mānuka on the Waiorongomai river, a tributary leading into Tapuaeroa River, Tairāwhiti (East Cape), Aotearoa/ New Zealand. Triptych.
- Robertson, Natalie (2023). Raupeka ki Mangawhariki. Distressed mānuka trees in the Mangawhariki riverbed. Triptych.
- Robertson, Natalie (2023). Hoake tāua ki Waiapu! Ko te pā tauremu, ko te kupenga taka ki rō wai. Let us make our way to Waiapu! This is the stone fish weir and net immersed in water. Pā tauremu (stone fish weir) and kupenga (fishing net) in the Waiapu River, Tairāwhiti (East Cape), Aotearoa/ New Zealand. Triptych.
- Robertson, Natalie (2023). Whakawhitirā! Ka titiro ki uta ra ki Hikurangi Maunga. Let it shine! Look inland and afar off to Hikurangi Mountain. Triptych.
- Monteith, Alex; Robertson, Natalie; Sheehan, Marie. (2024). He Manako, He Pānga Pōuri, He Kōingo — Afflicted with desire, sadness, and yearning. Single-channel 4K Video projection, with sound, duration 9:55 minutes, looped.
Inspired by an ancient mōteatea and grounded in the living whenua of Ngāti Porou, He Uru Mānuka is a creative cultural mapping project breathing new life into ancestral knowledge. As climate shifts reshape the Waiapu River, we pair traditional practice with modern technologies to document, protect, and uplift the mauri of the land, the waters, and the stories in between.
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Motiti Marae and Tapuiwahine A12 whenua are full of unseen stories, rhythms, and vibrational energies. This research brought together cutting-edge sonic mapping and LiDar scanning technologies to explore the ecosystems and acoustic heritage of these ancestral lands. In partnership with local hapū, marae, and iwi, the project captured both the seen and the unheard — illuminating the mauri of the whenua and awa in powerful new ways.
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Dr Claudio Aguayo
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Dr Paul Brown
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Associate Professor Te Taka Keegan
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Dr Daniel Wilson
Dr Daniel Wilson
Daniel Wilson is a lecturer in Computer Science at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland. His teaching and research are in the areas of AI, Māori Data Sovereignty, Māori Algorithmic Sovereignty, and AI ethics. Daniel is a member of Te Pokapū in The Māori Data Sovereignty Network Te Mana Raraunga, Co-Director of the Centre of Machine Learning for Social Good, member of the Kāhui Māori for the AI Forum, treasurer of the AI Researchers Association, and an establishment member of the AI in Health Research Network. Daniel has a PhD in Philosophy and a Master of Professional Studies in Data… -
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Dr Maree Sheehan
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Te Mihinga Komen
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Dr Kim Southey
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Aamon Apiata
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He oranga whānau: mahi ngātahi: Whānau livelihoods within the context of work and Māori economies of wellbeing. These groundbreaking works celebrate Māori futures rooted in kaupapa Māori values while fostering pathways for responsible relationships, meaningful lives, and flourishing Indigenous wellbeing economies. By emphasising the central role of whānau, these publications provide actionable insights and inspiration for transformative change in economic and cultural systems.
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Professor Chellie Spiller
Professor Chellie Spiller
Dr Chellie Spiller, of Matawhaiti Iwitea, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, is Professor of Management and Leadership, and Associate Dean Māori at the University of Waikato. She was previously a senior lecturer and Associate Dean Māori and Pacific at the University of Auckland Business School. She has over 30 years of corporate experience in tourism, finance and marketing, holding senior executive positions in New Zealand and abroad, and brings this experience to her academic work and leadership and management development programmes. Her research explores how Māori and indigenous businesses create… -
Professor Jarrod Haar
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Dr John Reid
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Associate Professor Jason Paul Mika
Associate Professor Jason Paul Mika
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Dr Matthew Rout
Dr Matthew Rout
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