Pohewa Pae Tawhiti (Visualising Horizons): a Māori holistic approach to the co-design of land-use systems

Exploring alternative land-uses, particularly alternatives to traditional productivist systems, is a key part of the transition towards sustainable future agricultural systems. However, decision-making around agricultural suitability and land use is complex and has far reaching implications that extend beyond the farm gate across to the catchment, region, and along the value chain.

For Māori land decision-makers and governors this complexity is increased due to unique challenges, including the complex land tenure system governing Māori freehold land, alongside the multiple and often conflicting objectives of the high numbers of landowners. There is a diverse range of expertise amongst Māori land entities and decision-makers, with smaller and medium-sized entities often unable to access the expertise and information required for quality decision-making.

This paper presents Pohewa Pae Tawhiti (Visualising Horizons), a prototype multi-model framework led by Te Arawa Arataua to support decisions around alternative land-use options. This framework integrates modelled data and guided discussion processes to address a gap in theory and practice in a culturally consistent land-use decision-making framework. We also position this approach within a broader international context to indigenous development and future-proofing land-use decisions for subsequent generations.