The cultural significance of wai
This information is provided to Northland Regional Council through the Tangata Whenua Water Advisory Group. It does not override the individual mana motuhake (authority) of hapū and iwi in Te Taitokerau. For more information about the iwi/hapū in your rohe (area), please check our online map.
The landmarks and waterways of the whenua (land) that hapū or iwi come from are an important part of Māori culture and identity.
These landmarks are often seen as tūpuna (ancestors) and are considered sacred and living beings. Ancestral connections between whānau, hapū, and iwi are acknowledged through whakapapa (genealogy/lineage) and pepeha, which may include mountains, waterways and oceans.
Tangata whenua rely on the mauri (life essence) of the wai (water) and ecosystems to be well and prosperous, as mauri reflects and affects the wellbeing of people.
Over the years, the land use around wai māori (freshwater) has changed considerably. This has affected the mauri of wai, ecosystems and taonga species (species that are significant to Māori). In some cases, taonga species are unable to survive because of degraded water quality, and people are unable to swim or drink from rivers, streams and lakes that would have been used in the past.
Te Mana o te Wai
Te Mana o te Wai recognises that the health of freshwater (quality and quantity) is integral to the social, cultural, economic and environmental wellbeing of communities. For iwi and hapū, the health and wellbeing of water is directly linked to the health and wellbeing of people.
Te Mana o te Wai on the farm
Good quality, clean water is important for healthy crops and healthy livestock. It supports sustainable farming by playing a key role in soil health, livestock health, and crop production. It also helps to prevent disease, as contaminated water can be a breeding ground for plant and animal pathogens that lead to disease outbreaks and make water unsuitable for farming.
In a farming context, Te Mana o te Wai gives a perspective on how landowners and agricultural operations interact with freshwater systems. In freshwater farm plans, farmers must have regard to identified cultural matters of importance, which includes Te Mana o te Wai. This could mean prioritising water health and understanding the interest local iwi and hapū have in the waterbodies on your farm.
Prioritising water health
Riparian planting, wetland restoration, and fencing off waterways are ways you can prioritise water health.
Riparian planting
Riparian planting means establishing native vegetation along waterways to reduce runoff, filter nutrients, and stabilise banks. Depending on where your farm is located, there may be native plants important to tangata whenua, such as certain species of harakeke (flax). Local iwi and hapū may also have advice on what time of year is best for planting in your area.
Find out more about riparian planting
Wetland restoration
Wetlands are taonga to Māori. They are the kidneys of Papatūānuku (earth mother), filtering the water that flows through them before it reaches waterbodies. They also provide important ecosystems and habitats. You can protect these natural filters and biodiversity hubs by creating, fencing, and restoring wetlands.
Find out more about wetlands in Northland and how to look after them
Fencing off waterbodies
Preventing livestock from entering streams and rivers reduces contamination and erosion.
Find out about the rules for excluding stock from waterbodies
Understanding the interest local iwi and hapū have in the health of waterbodies on your farm
Depending on where your farm is located, iwi and hapū may have an interest in the mauri (life essence) of a waterbody as it moves through your property and flows downstream through the catchment. As water moves through different types of land use, its composition changes with the different overflows and discharges that enter the water. This can affect ecosystems, habitats, and taonga species, including migratory pathways and breeding.
Waterbodies on your property may have cultural significance to Māori as wāhi tapu (sacred place or site), such as places traditionally used by Māori for baptism, washing bodies, healing, or other cultural practices and rituals. There may also be waterbody sites that are mahinga kai (food-gathering places) where Māori have gathered plants and animals, such as freshwater plants, tuna, and īnanga.
View some of the sites of significance
There are also archaeological sites that have been mapped by Heritage New Zealand.
Te Mana o te Wai may have implications for your local iwi or hapū duty of manaakitanga (hosting and looking after visitors). Iwi or hapū may show their ability to manaaki visitors by the traditional kai they can serve and are known for. For example, the Ngāti Hine Environmental Management Plan (2022) (PDF 4.62 MB) says:
“The many marae of Ngāti Hine have a reputation among Māori gourmands of the north in Taitokerau and further afield as the place where the best, cleanest and the sweetest eel are placed on the table. Alas, this reputation for the size and quality of eel is fast being eroded due to poor water quality, habitat degradation and commercial fishing.”
How to find local iwi or hapū
If you are unsure who the iwi/hapū are near your farm, you can use our Te Taitokerau CCCV viewer, Te Kāhui Māngai, or Māori Maps. To use the Te Taitokerau CCCV viewer, click on the area where your farm is located and select the ‘Tangata whenua’ map layer to see the iwi in your area. There may be more than one iwi. It is important that you view the content for each iwi that overlaps your farm to fully understand the cultural context of that rohe (area).
Incorporating cultural values into risk management on your farm
You can incorporate cultural values, such as manaakitanga (showing care and respect for others), kotahitanga (unity), and kaitiakitanga (guardianship/stewardship) into your freshwater farm plan.
The table below provides some examples of manaakitanga and kotahitanga in a farming context. There are many other Māori cultural values that may also be relevant. For more information about this, reach out to your local hapū or iwi, or contact our Land Management team on 0800 002 004 or landadmin@nrc.govt.nz
Examples of incorporating Māori cultural values into your freshwater farm plan
| Context | Risk | Mitigation | Cultural value |
| Streams or rivers on your farm may be used by taonga species for migration and breeding. | Poorly designed or installed culverts can prevent aquatic taonga species from moving around waterways to follow their natural lifecycle. | Ensure culverts are correctly installed according to the rules in the Regional Plan to allow fish passage so taonga species have access to food sources and breeding habitat. | Manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga. |
| You may have taonga waterbodies (streams, rivers, lakes or wetlands) or wāhi tapu on your property. | If you are unaware of the significance of taonga waterbodies and wāhi tapu to Māori, your freshwater farm plan may overlook culturally significant sites and fail to put protections in place. | Reach out to the iwi and hapū that can identify and explain the cultural significance of these waterbodies and the preservation of cultural heritage. | Kotahitanga, kaitiakitanga. |
| Effluent discharge from cow sheds and stormwater. | Any discharges of effluent to water are considered abhorrent to most iwi and hapū groups. Discharges directly to water that is untreated should be avoided. | Discharge raw and treated effluent to land if possible, to avoid adverse effects. Where discharging to land, building in wetlands and riparian margins helps to reduce contaminants. |
Mauri, manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga |
| Sediment load and erosion control for riverbanks. | Exposed riverbanks are more susceptible to erosion, increasing the amount of sediment load in the river. This can affect taonga species and their ecosystem. | Fence waterways to exclude stock from creating more erosion, and plant riparian vegetation. | Mauri, kaitiakitanga |