The health of cultural values and mahinga kai in the Te Wairoa Hōpūpū Hōnengenenge Mātangirau, Wairoa river catchment and the impacts of sediment

Te Wairoa Hōpūpū Hōnengenenge Mātangirau (Wairoa River) and its tributaries are significant to the iwi and hapū of Te Rohe o Te Wairoa in Wairoa, an area spanning northern Hawke’s Bay and southern Gisborne located on the Eastern side of Aotearoa New Zealand’s North Island.

The Wairoa River is valued ecologically and for recreation and mahinga kai (food and resource gathering). The river is also affected by excess sediments. In this paper we present a cultural values framework developed in Wairoa and adapted to focus on the awa (river).

Ninety-two cultural value assessments were conducted with 55 people along reaches of the Wairoa river and the Waiau, its principal tributary. The data reveal considerable spatial and temporal variability in cultural health and add to knowledge of the direct and indirect impacts of sediment on cultural values. Furthermore, the data highlight the resiliency of cultural values of connectedness despite degradation to the environment, and that a range of methods can be employed to support or enhance the health of cultural values to complement water quality improvements.

The use of this framework responds to the increasingly recognised need to include diverse perspectives in monitoring programmes and demonstrates that Māori-led cultural monitoring is a means to produce credible, relevant and legitimate information to support policy and planning.