爆料社区

Human wellbeing is inseparable from the natural environment. That fact is becoming increasing clear as the impact of global warming bites.听听

It鈥檚 also a core belief that underpins the M膩ori world view. It鈥檚 a view of M膩ori, but not just for M膩ori, insists Rangimarie Hunia of Ng膩ti Wh膩tua, who delivered a keynote address at Connections 2023 outlining how the M膩ori world view could help shape the future of sport and recreation.听

鈥淭he M膩ori world view is for all of us in Aotearoa,鈥� said Hunia, a vastly experienced director and current chair of Te Ohu Kaimoana.听

鈥淚t is not just 鈥榤ine鈥� 鈥� that is mine, that is yours and never shall the twain meet. We are too small as a nation to be thinking like that.听听

鈥淭his nation鈥檚 cultural capability is its superpower.听

鈥淪ocial cohesion, shared understanding, an appreciation of how we might think of a situation 鈥� all of that becomes more important now.鈥�听

The now, of course, is a reference to what Climate Commission chair Dr Rod Carr describes as the 鈥渃limate chaos鈥� the planet is enduring 鈥� and will continue to endure.听

鈥淭he core wisdom of M膩ori is our kinship-based relationship with the natural environment,鈥� Hunia said.听

鈥淭his is described through actions and proverbs that we have used for millennia.听

鈥淭he health of the land and the sea and the sky is the goal. All of the actions that we take must contribute to this goal.鈥�听

The reality of climate change was that leaders attempting to navigate today鈥檚 crises were also required to make decisions with future generations in mind.听

鈥淭here is a leadership challenge in front of all of us. We can鈥檛 dodge it. The consequences of climate change are being felt everywhere. It doesn鈥檛 matter where we are in the world, where we are on the planet or what industry or field. It doesn鈥檛 matter what city or suburb or community.听听听

鈥淐limate change is impacting on all of us 鈥� and as leaders we are being asked to make some really big decisions.听

鈥淲e are having to react and respond 鈥� but at the same time think about and make decisions for a generation we will never know, make decisions for a sport or an environment that you have nothing to do with.听

鈥淭hat is the nature of the decisions that Aotearoa 鈥� and in particular iwi and M膩ori 鈥� are having to think about right now.鈥�听

Increasingly, societies were turning to the knowledge and values of their indigenous peoples as they attempted to cope with the harsh new environments being shaped by climate change.听

鈥淲e are witnessing a resurgence in indigenous knowledge and growing acknowledgement of the value of indigenous knowledge worldwide,鈥� Hunia said.听

鈥淸Climate events] bring crises, they bring tragedy, all of these unexpected impacts on us. We have to have something that we can ground to.听

鈥淭he things that we have been thinking about from a M膩ori world view helps us to do that.鈥�听

The concept of tiaki 鈥� to look after or care for people, place and culture 鈥� was central to the M膩ori view.听

鈥淸It is about] managing and using resources in a way that maintains the abundance of the natural resource. Abundance doesn鈥檛 mean that you don鈥檛 use the use the resource. That鈥檚 not what鈥檚 behind this idea of sustainability. Rather what it says is that we make sure there is a resource there, taonga there, for those that are yet to come.听

鈥淵ou do it not because it brings you any particular personal gain, you do it for future generations.鈥�听

Hear more in the full presentation video >