Project lead: Associate Professor Krushil Watene (Ngāti Manu, Te Hikutu, Ngāti Whātua ō Orākei, Tonga) The University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau (Host)
Recognising the value and interconnectedness of human and non-human life, climate activism is directed toward the protection of our biosphere and natural environment as a whole. In Aotearoa, such activism as a distinctly Indigenous social practice has clear yet underexamined connections to Māori concepts such as kaitiakitanga.
By exploring the inner workings of kaitiakitanga from the perspective of that practice in particular, this project extends our understanding of the conceptual, ethical, and practical dimensions of the Indigenous climate activism specific to our communities.
Specifically, we shine a light on:
1) how kaitiakitanga grounds and shapes responsibilities to engage in climate activism,
2) how and by whom the ethical and strategic dimensions of that activism are determined, as well as
3) which diverse forms it can take and how they transform policy and law.
Combining Māori philosophy with insights from social practices like artistic expression and marae-based nature regeneration efforts, this community-engaged and transdisciplinary project thereby aims to deepen our understanding of Māori climate activism – regarding its evolution, communal legitimacy, and global contributions.