25/06/2026
Introduction to Our Kaupapa
The Māori Marine Whenua Hauora Resource Research and Development Foundation is a kaupapa-driven organisation focused on the protection and restoration of whenua, wai, biodiversity, and community wellbeing. Our work is grounded in kaitiakitanga, mātauranga Māori, environmental stewardship, and the defence of the rights of both people and the natural world.
We are developing systems to identify, document, monitor, and report potential human rights and environmental rights violations affecting our communities, waterways, indigenous interests, and ecosystems. This includes gathering evidence, recording observations, researching historical and current impacts, and engaging with relevant authorities, researchers, and community groups.
Our aim is to ensure that concerns relating to environmental degradation, pollution, public health, cultural impacts, access to resources, and the rights of present and future generations are properly documented and addressed.
We welcome collaboration with researchers, environmental organisations, legal experts, community groups, government agencies, and tangata whenua who share a commitment to transparency, accountability, and the protection of our natural and human heritage.
Our concern is not only environmental degradation but the loss of our ability to safely harvest food, exercise kaitiakitanga, and maintain our cultural relationship with the waterways. Where contamination, sewage discharge, or industrial pollution affects these values, the impacts extend beyond environmental management and become matters of human rights, indigenous rights, and intergenerational wellbeing
Environmental Advocacy, Kaitiakitanga, and Community Participation
The Māori Marine Whenua Hauora Resource Research and Development Foundation undertakes environmental advocacy as an expression of kaitiakitanga and responsibility to present and future generations. Our work is grounded in the protection of whenua, wai, biodiversity, mahinga kai, and the cultural relationships that tangata whenua maintain with the natural environment.
Kaitiakitanga is not merely an environmental function; it is a cultural, spiritual, and intergenerational responsibility. When waterways become polluted, natural resources are degraded, or communities lose the ability to safely harvest food and exercise customary practices, the effects extend beyond environmental harm and directly impact cultural wellbeing, community health, and the exercise of indigenous rights.
Meaningful participation in public decision-making is essential to effective environmental stewardship. Community members, iwi representatives, researchers, and environmental advocates must be able to raise concerns, contribute knowledge, monitor environmental conditions, and participate in regulatory processes without fear of intimidation, exclusion, discrimination, or retaliation.
The Foundation is concerned that environmental advocates and kaitiaki who raise matters of public interest may encounter barriers that limit their ability to participate effectively in environmental governance and decision-making processes. Such barriers can undermine public confidence, weaken environmental accountability, and reduce the effectiveness of community-led stewardship initiatives.
We further note concerns regarding the treatment of individuals engaged in environmental and cultural advocacy, including members of our project team. Where advocates experience adverse treatment connected to their participation in environmental matters, these concerns warrant careful examination to ensure that principles of fairness, transparency, and natural justice are upheld.
The impacts of environmental degradation are often borne disproportionately by Māori communities whose cultural identity, wellbeing, and customary practices are closely connected to specific rivers, streams, wetlands, forests, and coastal environments. The loss of access to clean water, healthy ecosystems, and safe traditional food sources can diminish the ability of communities to exercise kaitiakitanga and maintain cultural continuity.
For these reasons, environmental protection, indigenous rights, public participation, and community wellbeing should be regarded as interconnected issues. Effective environmental governance requires genuine engagement with tangata whenua, respect for mātauranga Māori, protection of community advocates, and a commitment to ensuring that environmental decision-making processes are accessible, transparent, and accountable.
Concerns Regarding Environmental Management Practices
The Foundation has ongoing concerns regarding environmental management practices that may adversely affect indigenous ecosystems, customary food sources, waterways, and the ability of tangata whenua to exercise kaitiakitanga.
These concerns include the historical and ongoing introduction of non-native species into Aotearoa's environments, the ecological consequences of pest-management programmes, and the potential impacts of chemical control methods on ecosystems, biodiversity, water quality, and community wellbeing.
Many Māori communities maintain deep cultural, spiritual, and practical relationships with rivers, streams, forests, wetlands, and traditional food-gathering areas. Where environmental management practices are perceived to affect these relationships, concerns arise regarding environmental justice, indigenous rights, and meaningful participation in decision-making processes.
The Foundation believes that environmental policies and operational programmes should be subject to transparent monitoring, independent review, and meaningful engagement with tangata whenua and affected communities. Particular attention should be given to the protection of mahinga kai, freshwater ecosystems, biodiversity, and the long-term health of future generations.
We seek greater transparency regarding environmental impacts, monitoring outcomes, risk assessments, and the incorporation of mātauranga Māori into environmental decision-making and management frameworks.
Contact:
Fraser Howard
Chairperson
The Māori Marine Whenua Hauora Resource Research and Development Foundation
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 020 440 7405
