About this research
Project Summary
The best knowledge and technology are coming together for Tahamata Incorporation and shareholders’ coastal farm, Kuku, Horowhenua. Not only is Tahamata Incorporation aligning itself with the Whenua Haumanu program run by Ministry for Primary Industries and Massey University to explore diverse pastures and regenerative management practices for lower North Island coastal farming, but this dedicated iwi-led research team communicated with shareholders/board/operations via mapping and visuals at winter wānanga.
The project team participated in a working week of ground-based preparations on the coastal farm, followed by two-day wānanga on former pā sites, led by iwi researchers with long track record of impactful research. On these ancestral sites by the Ōhau River and Kuku Stream, iwi researchers worked with landscape architect/ GIS and LiDAR expert and a hydro-ecologist/artist to help raise discussions around what enhanced management practices might look like for a case study farm.
Extending on previous research, this project brought together mātauranga Māori/local intergenerational knowledge of place with environmental, economic, hydro-ecological and mapping technologies to enable discussions about whole-of-farm approaches with Tahamata shareholders/board/farm operations; develop comprehensive plans via GIS and LiDAR mapping for better monitoring of all paddocks; discuss regenerative farming practices, and inform on farming emission reductions within current climate change precarities.
Research Question
How might LiDAR (Light Detecting and Ranging) and up-to-date GIS (geographic information system) technologies enhance decision-making for a coastal Māori farm experiencing climate change problems?
Lead Researcher
Professor Huhana Smith, Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Massey University
Research Team
Moira Poutama, Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Wehiwehi, Ngāti Kikopiri, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Te Iwi o Ngāti Tukorehe Trust
Hayden Fowler, Independent
Nathan Galluzzo, McGregor Coxall, Sydney
Highlights
- Completion of a Masters – and supervising the student
- Supervising and completing a summer internship project
- Presenting and engaging with the community and Board
- Invited presentation
- Technical report providing gap-filling for an inquiry
Bringing together cutting-edge mapping tools, mātauranga Māori, and regenerative farming practices, this iwi-led project empowers Tahamata Incorporation to reimagine the future of their coastal farm. Through GIS, LiDAR, and deep local knowledge, the team is creating new ways to see, plan, and care for the whenua—together.
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