Webinar: Ocean Stewardship in the Pacific

Thu, 07 November 2024

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Our upcoming webinar explores intertwining indigenous knowledge and values with the needs of the community to achieve positive outcomes for the marine environment.


Presentations will provide insight into:

- cooperative partnerships with Indigenous communities to establish protected areas
- marine management systems such as rāhui, taiāpure and ra’ui 
- significance of oral history/kōrero & traditional knowledge in the Pacific
Register via Zoom to tune in online on Thursday 7 November at 7 pm

Topics

Marae Moana, Sacred Ocean, Cook Islands
A multiple-use marine park which extends over the entire Exclusive Economic Zone of the Cook Islands, an area of 1.9 million square kilometres. The Marae Moana Act is the largest commitment by a single country for integrated management and conservation from ridge to reef and from reef to ocean. 

East Otago Taiāpure 
A customary protection area that ensures access to customary and recreational fishing but allows for more regulation of fishing practices and management of marine species by the local community.

Traditional Knowledge in the Pacific
The important role of Indigenous and local knowledge in ocean science, including navigation from a Māori knowledge perspective.


Guest Speakers

Jacqueline Evans, Marine Conservationist
Working with the community and stakeholders of the Cook Islands, Evans helped to create an integrated system of ocean management to protect their marine environment and biodiversity. She led a five-year grassroots campaign to establish Marae Moana (“Sacred Ocean”) a multiple use ocean protected area, established in 2017. She brought international experts and scientists together with traditional leaders, the local private sector, communities, government agencies and nonprofit organisations to make the vision of this large MPA a reality. Evans persisted to build collaboration for the development of a Marae Moana Policy and Marae Moana Act to protect and conserve the Cook Islands marine biodiversity and cultural heritage. The Act includes a framework for marine spatial planning and ecologically sustainable ocean resources management. In 2019 she won the Goldman Environmental Prize for her role and in 2020 she established the Moana Foundation to advance research, environmental activism and support social progress in the Cook Islands. 

Dr. Anne-Marie Jackson, Kaupapa Māori researcher
Professor Jackson (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Kahu o Whangaroa, Ngāpuhi, Ngātiwai) is Co-Director of the National Centre of Research Excellence Coastal People: Southern Skies (CPSS) and is Kaihautū Managing Director of Rehutai Consulting. The vision of CPSS is mauri ora of coastal communities. Anne-Marie brings expertise in kaupapa Māori research working alongside coastal communities to advance goals of kaitiakitanga.

Dr. Daniel Hikuroa, Weaving Indigenous knowledge & science
Dr. Hikuroa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Mahuta, Ngaati Whanaunga) is an established world expert on weaving indigenous knowledge & science to realise the dreams and aspirations of the communities he works with. He employs Earth Systems/Environmental Humanities approaches in his research and in advisory work he does for national/regional government, communities & philanthropic trusts. Dan has been spearheading alternative ways of assessing sustainability; weaving indigenous knowledge and epistemologies into legislation, assessment frameworks and decision-support tools. Dan has various roles; UNESCO NZ Commissioner for Culture, member of Pou Herenga (Advisory to the Climate Change Commission) and recently was Tumuaki Tuarua of Ngā Kaihautū Tikanga Taiao (Statutory Māori Advisory to the Environmental Protection Authority), Co-Deputy Director Te Pūnaha Matatini, American Geophysical Union Council member and has played key roles in NZ’s National Centres of Research Excellence & National Science Challenges. He is a founding member of Te Ao Marama and Te Putahi o te Pūtaiao, Faculty of Science research centres.

James Tremlett, Marine Conservationist
An environmental policy and research consultant, James supports initiatives that re-engage communities with the sea at local, national and regional scales. His broader interests centre on understanding human interactions with coastal and marine environments with the purpose of driving change in our collective relationship with the natural world.


Thanks to the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO for supporting this event as part of our Seaweek Ngā Kōrero series.