Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update
Ngā Waihotanga Iho: Self-determination through Indigenous environmental education in New Zealand
A Kaipara hapū used an estuary monitoring toolkit with NIWA and local high schools to lead Indigenous environmental education, supporting self-determination and environmental guardianship.
What's new
Te Uri O Hau, a Kaipara hapū in Northland, put the NIWA-designed estuary monitoring toolkit Ngā Waihotanga Iho at the centre of a Māori-centred education project. Working with NIWA and regional high schools, the hapū used the toolkit for environmental guardianship and Indigenous-led environmental education. The paper argues that approaches like this can strongly support Māori self-determination and tribal development. It also argues they strengthen the place of Indigenous knowledge, priorities and approaches in education.
Why it matters in Aotearoa
This is an Aotearoa example of hapū-led partnership in which schools and a science agency support iwi priorities for local environmental education.
Putting it into practice
Schools near waterways can approach local hapū or iwi to ask whether there are monitoring or guardianship projects students could support on the hapū's terms.
How strong is the evidence
This is a descriptive account of a single project. The abstract does not describe data collection or outcomes in detail.
What to read
The full article, especially how the partnership between the hapū, NIWA and the schools was structured.