The second Wānanga Waiora was held at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds Tahuaroa Function Centre on March 26. Hosted by Whangaroa Taiao Ltd with support from NRC, the event provided a unique opportunity for Te Taitokerau kaitiaki and hapū to come together and share te mātauranga o te taiao.

Whangaroa Taio Ltd CEO Nyze Manuel said the point of Wānanga Waiora had always been about kotahitanga and having a measurable tool for understanding the relationships between wai and ‘waitiaki’, as well as NRC’s operational capability and positive outcomes with tangata whenua.

Overall she said she felt the kaupapa had gone well and it was great to see everyone come together to share and learn from each other’s mātauranga of te taiao.

“Wānanga Waiora allows us to see what NRC is doing as an authority and to specifically measure the relationships between our waitiaki and council and their practices on an operational level,” Manuel said.

“Being able to measure policy and governance and the ‘hands on the ground’ mahi, that’s important and this year’s event really highlighted how the relationship between NRC and the waitiaki had grown.

“In terms of sharing mātauranga Māori, having our tohunga in the room and having councillors there to hear and see this in these hapu spaces was critical and something we need to treasure.

“All of that happened thanks to the relationship Te Ruarangi has with local governance and kaitiaki.”