Waikato-Tainui making plans to survive impending impact of climate change
From solar power farms to nurseries and tribal water storage facilities, the Waikatos main iwi are taking a multi-faceted, proactive approach to surviving impending changes to the Earths climate. Waikato-Tainui strategy and relationships manager Manaaki Nepia revealed numerous aspects of the iwis game plan to a meeting of Hamilton City Councils environment committee. The health and wellbeing of our whenua is a reflection of the health and wellbeing of our people, she told the committee via a Zoom conference call on Tuesday. For the last couple of years, like many organisations, we have been looking at climate change and its impact ... Waikato-Tainui recognise that climate change is one of the most significant issues that will impact the long term wellbeing and prosperity of our marae, whanau, hapu and iwi. READ MORE: * Council cuts down on carbon count - but Covid takes some of the credit * Crowded House not allowed: What's cancelled, what's postponed because of the latest Covid lockdown * City council ready to reveal its cunning (long term) plan to ratepayers A big part ... is ensuring that whatever we do today is sustainable for our mokopuna, 10, 20, 100 years from today. In 2019, iwi staff spent time canvassing marae and the tribal parliament, getting feedback and ideas on how to weather the consequences of human-made climate change a process that was interrupted by the pandemic. During Covid, like many of us, we had to do a bit of a pivot and look at our resiliency. What we learnt from Covid, from an iwi perspective, was how unsustainable we were ... there was power poverty, water poverty, all those sort of things. The development of solar power farms, in yet-to-be-determined locations, and taking an environmentally friendly approach to new housing developments were among the new initiatives the iwi was investigating. In conjunction with Tainui Group Holdings, investigations were under way into the conversion of exotic forest back to native forest. The iwi already operated four nurseries and was looking into using these to foster biodiversity and increase the amount of native flora available for reforestation. Making use of the iwis land in Rahui-Pokeka (Huntly), where open cast mines formerly operated by Solid Energy could be used as water reservoirs, was another venture the iwi was investigating with the help of consultancy firm WSP. We are looking at how to build this resiliency as water becomes gold ... it is one of those resources that is becoming more and more scarce. Water from the Waikato River had become over-allocated, and this was having an impact on the health of the awa, Nepia said. Restoration of wetlands and the Waikatos lakes particularly Lake Waahi was also at the forefront of the iwis concerns. Another aspect was protecting marae in coastal areas, such as Maketu Marae in Kawhia, from sea level rise. Councillor Sarah Thomson queried whether the iwi was encountering barriers in its work from policies such as the councils district plan. Nepia said such hurdles had been encountered from time to time, however the iwi was now closely engaged with the Crown and having input on forthcoming legislation such as the reformation of the Resource Management Act. Climate change is right in our faces, whether we believe it or not. Maangai Norm Hill said Raglan, which was becoming a self-sustainable community and could in coming years be completely solar-powered, was an example other Waikato communities should emulate. He asked Nepia if the tribal strategy, and the knowledge obtained from the investigations, could have positive uses beyond the iwi. It would, she said. We know whatever we set in play will benefit the wider community. The reality is that we are all residing on this piece of whenua that is housing us, so we all have our part to play to contain and sustain.