Tiakina te wai: Te whakaaro hou ki te tukunga o ngā ratonga wai e ngā pūhanga
Croftfield Lane Stormwater Wetland – example of regenerating a decommissioned wetland, providing water quality enhancement alongside placemaking, and enhancing the mauri (life essence) of the tributary to the Wairau Creek (photo credit: Jack Turner).
He puna wai, he puna kai, he puna reo, he puna ora, kia mau, kia ita.He wāhanga nui tō te wai ki te whakapapa Māori - ko ō tātou wai ko tō tātou tuakiritanga, ā, he mea nui ki a tātou hei kaitiaki. Nā te whakamahi, nā te whakaiti a te whenua tātāmi i ngā tikanga whakahaere i hua mai ai ngā āhuatanga whakahaere i te taiao, te hāngai ai ki te ao Māori (ki tā te Māori titiro). Ka whakarōpūngia te wai e ngā tikanga whakahaere wai o ēnei rā ki ētahi wāhanga, ka whakawehea ngā momo wai e pā ana ki te taiao māori, mai i ērā e pā ana ki te tūāhanga ā-ratonga, ā-tukunga - ko te mana o te wai 'three waters', arā ko te wai hei inu, wai āwhā (ka rere i te tuanui), me te wai paruparu (ka whakamahia, ka rukea i te kāinga, pēnei i te para i te rūma horoi me te kīhini). Kāore tēnei whakaaturanga i te paku whakaaro ki te hononga o te huringa o te wai, engari kē ia ka whakahaere taratahi nei i ēnei wai. Kei te mahere o Te Mana o Te Wai i roto i te National Policy Statement mō te Whakahaere i te Wai Māori tētahi raupapahanga kia noho mātāmua ko te hauora me te oranga o te wai. E mea ana tēnei rangahau arā he pūnaha kaupapa Māori kia mārama ai ka pēhea tā ngā kaipūhanga Māori takoha ki te whakahaere i ngā ratonga wai, i runga i te māuranga Māori, kaupapa Māori, me te ao Māori anō hoki, ka mutu, ka pēhea tā ngā pūhanga Tangata Tiriti mahi tahi ki te Tangata Whenua e pā ana ki te wai me te whakahaere i ngā ratonga wai. Kei roto i te ara whakaako ngā uiui ki ngā kaimahi e mahi nei mō te wai i te rāngai tūāhanga me tana whai i te rangahau mō te iwi/hapū. Mā te mārama ki te āhuatanga o nāianei, ka taea te whakatū i ngā painga mō te whakaako i te hangarau wai i roto i tētahi ara e arotahi ana ki te ao Māori, e āhei ai ngā kaipūhanga Māori, me ngā kaipūhanga kē atu, kia mārama pai ake ka pēhea tā te ahurea Māori ārahi i te tukanga whakatau, te hoahoa me te whakahaere i ngā ratonga wai. Ka whakaputaina e tēnei rangahau he pouaka utauta hei āwhina i te tikanga ahumahi.