NZILA President and Board Chair, Debbie Tikao, has been invited to present at the IFLA 60th World Congress in Istanbul, Turkey in September.

Debbie's abstract: Te kori a te kō - Redefining our Sustainable, Prosperous Future, will be a 10 minute oral presentation with a 5 minute discussion afterward. The presentation will take place place between September 4-6th (confirmation of date/time is still forthcoming). If you are attending the Congress, we encourage you to attend Debbie's session.

Debbie's abstract brief is below: 

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. 

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.

A more detailed article about this work can be found on the Landscape Architecture Aotearoa website.