Search Marsden awards 2008–2017

Recipient(s): Dr PL Harris | PI | Victoria University of Wellington
Ms LWM Clarke | AI | He Poutoko Matauranga - Eastbay REAP
Mr R Makiha | AI | Wakes' Scientific Consulting
Dr R Matamua | AI | University of Waikato
Ms AK Nu'uhiwa | AI | Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation
Mr OHT Simmonds | AI | Safety Management System Aotearoa Ltd

Public Summary: Climate change is fast becoming a reality for many indigenous peoples around the world. The peoples of the Pacific including Māori are now experiencing the negative impacts of climate change. For some, this in the form of coastal erosion and higher sea level change to increased temperature and changes in flowering and fruit ripening times. Scientists have traditionally engaged in various forms of rigorous efforts to understand climate change, utilizing techniques, such as computational modeling and ice core analysis. Indigenous knowledge is also being sought to offer a complementary set of data that can be used to inform on long-term climate patterns. For Māori, this knowledge is captured within the traditional calendar system called the maramataka, which contains observations of the environment, ecology, weather and the celestial; used to help track seasonal and lunar times. Therefore, shifts in observation may indicate external factors affecting change to the system, with climate change being one possibility. To this end, this project aims to collate and revive traditional Māori ecological knowledge relevant to traditional calendars using both qualitative and quantitative methods, such as semi-structured interviews, Wānanga, phenological observations and mining published and unpublished materials, in order to assess observed effects of climate change.