Indigenous Agroecology Research Report

369 Pages·2016·13.71 MB·English

by  Marion Johnson

He Ahuwhenua Taketake
Indigenous Agroecology

December 2015
He Ahuwhenua Taketake
Indigenous Agroecology

A report prepared for Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga
Contract 11RF02-BHUOT

Edited by Marion Johnson and Chris Perley

BHU Future Farming Centre

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Contributing authors
Marion Johnson - Principal Investigator
Marion Johnson is a senior scientist with the Future Farming
Centre Lincoln and a Ngā Pae o te
Māramatanga Research Fellow.
Marion has a background in sheep and
cattle farming, working both at home and
abroad. She then swapped gum boots for
a desk and gained a Masters and PhD in
Veterinary Parasitology.
Her research grapples with the problems
of declining animal health on many farms,
believing that healthy stock thrive on
healthy feed grown in healthy soils. She has searched for natural
anthelminthics amongst native plants, in consultation with local
communities looked for animal health remedies from traditional
medicines and worked with local farmers and communities to
implement the principles and practices of Agroecology. Multi-
cultural and interdisciplinary projects, natural medicines,
Agroecology, shrewd farming within the perceived constraints of
regenerative agriculture and finding the best possible local forage
options for animal health and productivity are her major research
directions.
Future Farming Centre, Lincoln www.bhu.org.nz/future-farming-
centre
Email: [email protected]
James Ātaria
He uri nō Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Kahungunu me Ngāti
Tūwharetoa ia.
James is currently a Senior Lecturer, Ecology
Department and Tūmuaki of Te Mātāpuna –
Kaupapa Māori Unit, Agricultural and Life
Science Faculty, Lincoln University. He works
as an ecotoxicologist at the Cawthron Institute,
Nelson, where he assists with Māori business
development. James is a trustee of the
Tuaropaki Trust (an Ahu Whenua Trust that has
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business interests in the energy and food production, and
communication sectors). He is also a co-Deputy Director for Ngā
Pae o te Māramatanga-Centre of Māori Research Excellence.
James’ scientific research interests lie in the development and
application of ecotoxicological tools for the assessment of the
biological effects and impacts of legacy and new emerging
contaminants on culturally significant species and sites (especially
freshwater) in New Zealand. He enjoys conducting his research
within multi-disciplinary/multi-organisational programmes that are
firmly embedded in Māori culture and process but with strong
linkages to end-user organisations. This approach interfaces
between science and mātauranga Māori (traditional and
contemporary Māori knowledge) and explores mechanisms that
promote mutual understanding and equality of uptake in policy
and decision making with respect to environmental resource
management.
P O Box 84, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, Christchurch, New
Zealand.
Email: [email protected]

Olivier Champeau
Olivier Champeau is an environmental toxicologist at the
Cawthron Institute, assessing the impact of
pollutants in a range of freshwater, marine
and soil organisms. He has experience with
biological markers for short term (e.g.
oxidative stress) or long term exposure,
reflecting further changes at the
community/population level (e.g.
immunotoxicity and genotoxicity). His
worked focused mainly on the impact of
heavy metals and emerging contaminants
(personal care products, veterinary
medicines). He also uses International guidelines and
standardised tests for environmental risk assessment helping
councils and private companies with their consent.
Email: [email protected]

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Maui Hudson
Maui affiliates to Whakatōhea, Ngāruahine and Te Mahurehure and
is currently based at the
University of Waikato. He is=
an interdisciplinary researcher
with experience across a diverse
range of research areas
including traditional medicine,
indigenous research ethics,
Māori economic development,
Māori health and the interface
between indigenous knowledge
and science. Maui is also a member of his tribal governing
council, the Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board.
Email: [email protected]

Samantha Tihoi Jackson
I am of Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi, Te Roroa, Ngāti Kahu o
Whangaroa, Ngāi Takoto,
Ngāti Wai and European
descent. In 2013, I completed
my Master of Arts in
Indigenous Development at
the University of Otago. I am
passionate about Māori and
Indigenous youth development
and have been fortunate to be
a part of many kaupapa that
aim to help rangatahi to reach
their potential. I was
fortunate to research youth
programmes for Hokotehi
Moriori trust, Rēkohu. I am
passionate about all things Māori and enjoyed learning about
Indigenous Agroecology through this project where I was a
research assistant. I am currently enjoying being apart of ‘Hoea
te Waka, Piki te Matau’, a kaupapa aimed at engaging youth
safely in the water. I am a third year medical student at the
University of Otago.

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Emma Kearney
Emma Kearney is a Masters Student in the Marine Department at
the University of Otago. Emma’s research
has focused on the New Zealand
scallop Pecten novaezelandiae in a
customary reserve – Te Whaka ā Te Wera
Mātaitai, Rakiura. Her research has aimed
to provide the community who locally
manage the resource with insight
into those factors influencing the recovery
of the scallop population. Emma joined
the research team through the help of a
studentship funded by Ngā Pae o Te
Māramatanga and hosted by Marion Johnson. She had a
particular interest in understanding the range of perspectives of
what constitutes healthy waterways in New Zealand and how land
use and policies influence waterway health from technical and
traditional perspectives.

Tony Moore
Dr. Antoni Moore is a senior lecturer in Geographical Information
Science and Deputy Head (Research
and Postgraduate) at the National
School of Surveying, University of
Otago. He is the coordinator of the
Otago Applied Science
undergraduate and postgraduate
degrees in Geographical Information
Systems (GIS) and is also secretary
of the New Zealand Cartographic
Society. He was previously in Otago’s Department of Information
Science from 2001 to 2008 and before that working as a
coastal/marine GIS Analyst at Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the
UK. He completed his BSc in Geographical Science (Portsmouth) in
1993, an MSc in GIS (Leicester) in 1994 and his PhD (on the
application of spatial artificial intelligence to integrated coastal
zone management, Plymouth) in 2001. He currently researches in
the areas of geovisualisation, cartography and spatial analysis.
Email: [email protected]

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Chris Perley
Chris Perley is an associated researcher of Otago’s University
Centre for Sustainability. Chris has a
three decade background in operational
management, advisory services, policy,
strategy and research covering
participatory approaches and strategic
frameworks relating to sustainable land
management and integrated land use.
His expertise extends through
agriculture, forestry, economic policy,
primary sector strategy, environmental
policy and environmental philosophy.
He is motivated by the potential of
place – environmentally, socially and
economically, if and when we get the philosophy right.
Chris has edited NZ J Forestry, is a writer and commentator, and
as Manager Land Management in Hawke’s Bay Regional Council
implemented Integrated Catchment Management approaches to
facilitating change and the sharing of a collective vision of place.
His work is largely to create a necessary alternative to the
mechanical industrial model of land use that currently
predominates in Aotearoa-New Zealand. The complex adaptive
systems views of indigenous peoples from around the world –
including the pre-modern views of Celtic and Germanic traditions
– has a major role to play in this shift.
www.chrisperleyblog.wordpress.com
[email protected]

Priscilla Wehi
Cilla is now a researcher and Rutherford
Discovery Fellow with the wildlife and
ecology management team at Landcare
Manaaki Whenua. Her academic background
is in zoology, animal ecology and human
dimensions of ecology. After her PhD in
2006, she worked as a research officer in the
Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology Research
(CBER) at the University of Waikato, a FRST
postdoctoral fellow in Massey University’s Ecology Group then as a
researcher at the Centre for Sustainability, where she remains an
Associated Researcher.

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Cilla’s research interests form two main strands. First, human
dimensions of conservation, including cultural management of
resources, traditional ecological knowledge, links between culture
and biodiversity, and urban ecology. Second, Cilla uses stable
isotope and nutrient analyses to clarify diet, foraging patterns and
ecological niche parameters. Cilla is affiliated with Okapu Marae,
Aotea.
Email: [email protected]

Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Ngā pae o te Māramatanga for funding this
research and for creating the opportunities for the participation of
the students and summer interns who have enriched the project.
Desna Whaanga Shollum was supported in her Masters
programme “Taiporutu Taunga Tuku Iho.”
This research would have been impossible without the support and
encouragement of many, many people who have given us of their
wisdom, time and friendship. We thank the research link farms
for their support, providing both a canvas for our ideas and much
sage advice.
Chris, thank you for your encouragement and your editing skills.
Thank you Marilyn, Dan and Daniel and everyone at Ngā pae o te
Māramatanga for your continual aroha and support.
All photographs Marion Johnson except where otherwise
acknowledged.

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Mihi

Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua
I te timatanga ko te kupu, ko te Atua te kupu, nā te Atua anō te
kupu i te timatanga. Nāna anō te rangi me te whenua i hanga hei
oranga mō te tangata, korōria ki tōna ingoa tapu.
Rere tonu ngā mihi ki ngā tipuna kua haere kei tua o te ārai, nā
rātou te whenua i takahia, nā rātou te tangata i arahina, nā rātou
hoki te rangi i wheturangitia. Nō reira haere e ngā mate huhua o
wā, haere, oti atu.
Huri noa ki a tātou ngā waihotanga o rātou mā. Tēnā tātou. Tēnā
hoki tēnei kaupapa rangahau mō ngā mahi ahuwhenua taketake e
kawea nei hei oranga whenua-oranga tangata. Me mihi ka tika ki
ngā mana, ki ngā pātaka kōrero i pā mai ki tēnei kaupapa hei
awhina i ngā kairangahau. Nā koutou te kaupapa i herea ki te
whenua, ki te rangi, kia puawai ko te ia o ngā kōrero hei tohu
arahi mō ngā uri whakatipu.

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Kōrero Whakarāpopoto – Executive Summary
Agroecology in its simplest terms reconnects ecology to
agriculture and to the people that draw their livelihoods from the
land. He Ahuwhenua Taketake, Indigenous Agroecology, weaves
Māori and Moriori ways of seeing with modern discussions of
agroecology to create a land management paradigm that marries
their knowledge and worldviews with agroecological principles for
Aotearoa New Zealand.
This report illustrates some of the areas of knowledge that are
important to agroecology. It also highlights the necessity of
farmers, whānau and specialists talking, working and adapting
together for a common good.
We begin by introducing the concepts of Agroecology and
Indigenous Agroecology framed for Aotearoa New Zealand.
Traditional land managements are explored, as is the use of
geographical information systems and visualisation to aid
discussions of change. Indigenous Agroecology requires a
meeting of local culture and science so we discuss the challenges
for communities in working with Mātauranga Māori and Science
and the problems faced by indigenous communities in retaining
the participation of youth. We depend on healthy water ways,
healthy livestock and a broad diversity to support our lands and
livelihoods, the multiple roles played by native plants in farm
systems are enumerated and the problems of pollution and
possibilities of bioremediation discussed. Two final chapters
illustrate the suggestions for local applications of Ahuwhenua
Taketake on our research link farms.
This document is a beginning, making a contribution to the
development of an alternative land management paradigm in
Aotearoa New Zealand. We hope that it will provide a context for
dialogue and change.

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