Knowledge into Action for Te Taiao
Te Taiao is the natural world that contains and surrounds us — the land, water, climate and living beings. It refers to the interconnection of people and nature. Ko au Te Taiao, ko Te Taiao ko au (I am nature, and nature is me). It’s an eternal relationship of respect, reciprocity and interdependence.
Food producers all over the world are facing connected challenges:
The health of soil and water, climate change, and changing customer expectations. We can respond to these challenges in a uniquely Aotearoa way by implementing Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles in all efforts to help revitalise Te Taiao – the land, water, climate, and biodiversity that contains and surrounds us all.
Knowledge into Action for Te Taiao
WAI Wānaka are one of three organisations who have received funding from Our Land and Water’s National Science Challenge for a place based pilot project to ‘Revitalise Te Taiao’.
The ‘Knowledge into Action for Te Taiao’ pilot aims to acknowledge and uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles of partnership, participation and protection.
Our goal is to forge and strengthen relationships with Tangata Whenua Hapū and Iwi of Kāi Tahu and work collectively with farmers, researchers, growers, industry groups and our community. This will inform future land use and management changes to increase the vitality of Te Taiao.
The project will assist farmers and growers to respond to pressures such as freshwater quality, soil health, pests, climate change and shifting consumer demand through identifying opportunities to farm in alignment with nature.
Knowledge into Action for Te Taiao is underpinned by two complementary knowledge-based pou:
Our People, Our Place
Understanding the history of the land from a Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti point of view, to support a fuller understanding of Te Taiao.
Transforming Scapes
Interweaving past, present and future knowledges to expand traditional farm plans beyond tools of regulation and enhance the vitality of Te Taiao.
Three actions are currently underway with more to come over the next few months.
Catchment Wide Monitoring
WAI Wānaka is working with EAS (Environmental Accounting Services) and the local community to develop a catchment wide monitoring system for key environmental and social indicators across both rural and urban areas. This is a community-led initiative to monitor the long-term impact of community efforts and guide environmental investment in the future. The aims of the catchment wide monitoring system are to:
- Communicate qualitative and quantitative data on the state of catchment health and track progress over time.
- Align monitored indicators to the Community Catchment Plan and sustainable development goals (SDG’s).
- Develop a central repository for data collection and reporting.
- Encourage community ownership and responsibility for overall catchment health.
- Set up a reporting system which is enduring and repeatable.
NZ Farm Assurance Plus Framework
The New Zealand Farm Assurance Plus (NZFAP+) is a system for building better and more resilient farm businesses. It provides a framework for clear decision making on your farm’s natural resources and encourages farmers on the journey of continuous improvement. It pulls information and plans together into one space, providing direction to focus efforts on areas that will improve farm businesses and prepare to meet customer expectations in the future whilst revitalising Te Taiao.
The team at WAI Wānaka are here to support farmers through the NZFAP+ accreditation. We do this by running workshops; supplying tools and resources to guide farmers through the process; providing one-on-one support; and through on farm monitoring, e.g. biodiversity monitoring, support and coordination of water sampling and data management.
Spatial Mapping
WAI Wānaka are working with Land and Water Science to collate and analyse data sets and map layers for the Upper Clutha to help build our understanding of the whenua (land) in the Upper Clutha catchment.
This data will guide us in understanding areas in the catchment which:
- Are susceptible to risk (to the environment or landscape).
- Can be managed to build resilience.
- Can create opportunity for the catchment or local farmers (e.g. through land use diversification).
This will guide farmers in making more informed land use and management decisions.
Knowledge into Action for Te Taiao is funded by Our Land and Water through AgResearch.
REVITALISE TE TAIAO BLOG
Updates from the team at Our Land and Water
Click here to view further updates and more information about the Revitalise Te Taiao project.
WAI WĀNAKA BLOG
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