In January, Ōnuku Rūnanga held its first of five Te Kori a te Kō - Climate Change Adaptation Wānanga in the sweltering heat - a stark reminder of the kaupapa at hand. The wānanga was held at Ōnuku Marae which is home to the hapū of Ngāi Tārewa and Ngāti Īrakehu.

Workshops, expert panel discussions, and activities were hosted by Ōnuku Rūnanga over three days. The wānanga brought together whānau, community leaders, climate science experts, local government representatives and freshwater ecologists, to share ideas, fears, expertise and to start the conversation of how we can work collaboratively to shape a more resilient future.

Te Kori a te Kō is the name of an indigenous led climate change adaptation programme that is inspired by the past. It reaches into origin stories and gives voice to the connection to whenua (land) and moana (sea). It encapsulates five projects, all of which are centred on Akaroa Harbour as the compass, teacher, and guide for this kaupapa. The five projects are interwoven to break down silos and apply holistic, multi-objective planning, and thinking to climate change adaptation.

Te Kori a te Kō flips climate change adaptation planning on its head. It integrates both bottom-up and top-down frameworks, but most importantly, it starts with action. From its conception, Te Kori a te Kō came from the position that hapū members would never read a ‘climate action’ plan and that many were either frightened or disinterested in climate change.

 As such, a different approach to engagement had to be taken. The other unique approach was that mātauranga taiao (traditional ecological knowledge) and Western science had to be woven together and that ‘growing knowledge’ in both areas is a critical component to building climate resilience.

The five projects of Te Kori a te Kō are all action focused. From installing māra kai (productive gardens), to research, to gathering stream data based on traditional practices and observations, through to planting days, and designing whare (home) resilience plans, each activity and project has been designed to build knowledge of climate change whilst physically engaging in shaping a more resilient future.

 What we have discovered is that action empowers people. By ‘doing’, people are more engaged and feel more positive about making a difference.

The Chairperson of Ōnuku Rūnanga, Rik Tainui, notes “Te Kori a te Kō lines up beautifully with our iwi whakataukī (proverb) – Mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei (for us and our children after us). Read the full story on the Ōnuku Rūnanga website.