THE CHANGING OF OUR ENVIRONMENT WITHIN TAINUI WAKA
Te Hurihanga Taiao o Tainui Waka
He Maimai Aroha
Ka maatakitaki iho au ki te riu o Waikato
Aanoo nei hei kapo kau ake maaku ki te kapu o taku ringa,
Ka whakamiri noa i toona aratau
E tia nei he tupu pua hou
Kia hiwa ake au i te tihi o Pirongia, Inaa, hei toronga whakaruruhau moona ki tooku tauawhirotanga
Anaa! Te ngoto o toona ngawhaa i ngoona uma kiihai i aarikarika
a Maungatautari, a Maungakawa, ooku puke maunga, ngaa taonga tuku iho.
Hoki ake nei au ki tooku awa koiora me ngoona pikonga
He kura tangihia o te maataamuri
E whakawhiti atu ai i te koopuu maania o Kirikiriroa,
Me ngoona maara kai, te ngawhaa whakatupu ake o te whenua moomona,
Hei kawe ki Ngaaruawaahia, te huinga o te tangata
Araa, te pae haumako, hei okiokinga moo taku Upoko, Hei tirohanga atu maa raro i ngaa huuhaa o Taupiri
Kei reira raa, kei te oroko hanganga o te tangata, Waahia te tuungaroa o te whare, te whakaputanga moo te Kiingi
I look down on the valley of Waikato, as though to hold it in the hollow of my hand and caress its beauty, like some tender verdant thing
I reach out from the top of Pirongia, as though to cover and protect its substance with my own
See how it bursts through the full bosoms of Maungatautari and Maungakawa, hills of my inheritance: The river of life, each curve more beautiful than the last
Across the smooth belly of Kirikiriroa, its gardens bursting with the fullness of good things, towards the meeting place at Ngaaruawaahia
There on the fertile mound I would rest my head , and look through the thighs of Taupiri
There at the place of all creation... let the King come forth
Kia hiwa raa, Kia hiwa raa
Kia hiwa raa, ki teenei tuku
Kia hiwa raa, ki teenaa tuku
Kei whakapurua koe ki te toto
Whakapuru tonu, whakapuru tonu
Kia hiwa raa, kia hiwa raa
Kia hiiritia a Kiingi Tuuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero Te Tuawhitu
Te pou herenga waka
Te pou herenga taangata
Paimaarire
Kia poroporoakingia ngaa mate taaruuruu nui o runga i ngaa marae maha
Haere, haere, haere atu raa
Kei ngaa marae maha o Waikato-Tainui
Teenaa matika, maranga mai ki ngaa tohu o te Taiao
He tainui, he tairoa, he taiope
Ngunguru te poo
Ngunguru te ao
Ka hau ngaa tai ki uta
Ore ao
Ko tuu te winiwini
Ko tuu te wanawana
Ko tuu whakaputaina ki whei ao
Ki te ao maarama
Te Hurihanga Taiao o Tainui Waka
THE CHANGING OF OUR ENVIRONMENT WITHIN TAINUI WAKA
Our climate is changing, and we hope the new series of Te Hurihanga Taiao o Tainui Waka booklets prepared for Te Whakakitenga o Waikato-Tainui will assist to increase understanding of the role and protection of our marae and potential impacts of climate change. This is the first six-monthly booklet to provide Marae with some data and information to help them with their plans to reduce the risks of impacts on their marae, associated whenua and connection to their Taiao.
Image provided by NIWA
Marae and Climate Change
Most of Waikato-Tainui Marae and associated whaanau whenua (“Marae”) that exists today was not acquired by the Crown or British settlers as it was considered ‘wastelands’ and ‘uneconomical ’ Our 68 Te Whakakitenga o Waikato Marae (“Whakakitenga Marae”) are mostly owned by the descendants of the original owners, giving the Marae cultural and historical significance and their generational connection to their Taiao by whakapapa and everything around us Through our cultural systems and how we were brought up, our connections to whenua and the whole world around us grounds us in our relationship and responsibility to our Taiao. The climatic disadvantages are that these lands are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change The coastal and river positioning of marae and surrounding important sites - such as urupaa - makes them potentially at risk to sea level rise and flash flooding For marae located near estuaries, the impact of sea level rise could include the loss of intertidal habitat and effects on mahinga kai. Other marae may be surrounded or are near delicate ecosystems, like wetlands that could be more prone to flooding and undergo drought occurrences Remote marae and landlocked areas can make it more challenging to improve marae infrastructure in order to increase marae resilience If nothing is done to maintain and boost marae resiliency, climate change impacts will put additional strain on marae and could worsen the quality of our 68 Whakakitenga Marae and their associated whaanau whenua.
Marae and whaanau whenua Insurance
Future marae Insurance could increase massively as climate risk rises Damage to the marae or risk of future damage may cause insurers to decline claims overtime, as exposure to risk and potential cost becomes too high Alternatively, risk premiums may increase and become unaffordable
Water
Water scarcity is among the top five global risks affecting people’s wellbeing. In water-scarce areas, the situation is likely to be even more grim. Conventional sources like snowfall, rainfall, river runoff and easily accessible groundwater are being affected by climate change, and supplies are shrinking as demand grows Rainfall is the primary source of drinking water for most rural marae, who collect water from rooftops and tanks as well as source their water from neighbouring streams and creeks. But 67% of our marae have insufficient water infrastructure, our access to water is generally poor, and whaanau struggle to keep up with maintenance. This means that water poverty already exists amongst our 68 Whakakitenga Marae and with floods and droughts that will only increase in the future, will exacerbate existing problems; indicating that future water quality may be jeopardised, and water shortages are likely
Water is a critical challenge to our future tribal pulse and a potential cause of social unrest and conflict. Water scarcity also impacts traditional seasonal taonga migration routes and, together with other water insecurity factors, could reshape taonga species migration patterns Thus, causing a risk to marae relationship to our traditional taonga within our Taiao
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Our Taiao and Climate Change
Our Biodiversity:
It is obvious to our kaitiaki that our native birds and animals are in midly stressed conditions across the Tainui rohe, with ‘hotspots’ evident in the Hauraki and Matamata-Piako districts and further south into Maniapoto However, these hotspots do not take into consideration heat Island effects which will be caused by future city sprawl and industrial activity.
Shorebirds are very vulnerable to climate change, as they will be impacted by the range of predicted changes at the land sea interface, particularly in terms of nesting. The West Coast Harbours are key breeding and wintering regions for shorebirds. Changes in estuary conditions at these sites, due to sea level rise, may have critical implications for these important birds Shorebirds can alter feeding patterns in response to changing storm cycles However, in many situations, the adaptive capacity of habitats and species to respond to climate change will be inadequate
Warmer winters may allow invasive mammal and other species to expand their ranges to higher altitudes, reducing the availability of cool, safe hiding places used by forest birds, in a process known as ‘thermal squeeze ’ With many threatened or at-risk bird taxa (unique whakapapa lineage) within Tainui rohe, the majority of these threatened birds reside within wetlands environs.
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Image provided by NIWA
Our Water:
Water holds a strong cultural significance for our people and often used in ceremonies, for transportation and our connection to the life force of Papatuuaanuku
The heat in the Waikato basin is starting to have similar climate to that of the Mediterranean (Harrington, 2021) Climate change scenarios predict that river water temperatures will rise. This will cause impact on water quality (oxygen dissolved reduction), reducing the available habitat of cold-water fish species and affect macroinvertebrates (Estrela-Sergrelles et al, 2023) Increased water temperatures will cause eutrophication and excess algal growth, increased sediment and/or nutrient inputs due to extreme storm events which will reduce drinking water quality Water shortages and soil erosion can also contribute to the reduction of native forests within the Waikato River catchment.
Our Wetlands:
Once covering large areas of Waikato, Hauraki and Maniapoto, 90% of wetlands have been destroyed at least, in the last 150 years, primarily replaced by grasslands, usually to support dairy farming They are now some of our rarest and most at-risk ecosystems Dried peatland emits carbon and Methane and is responsible for up to 6% of agricultural emissions in Aotearoa Wetlands must be “wet” for them to do their magic However, Waikato peat soil areas are under threat with emerging residential developments, industrial activity and intensive farming. Hydrologically wetlands are linked to rivers, lakes, aquifer, and estuaries and are considered nature’s kidneys, by filtering out pollution They also act like sponges, absorbing water during heavy rain and then releasing it gradually Wetlands can buffer the impact of rising sea levels and provide rich habitat for a multitude of species including whitebait, plants, fish, birds and other kai
North Waikato Riverine Lakes:
The cumulative direct and indirect impacts of human activity on and near the northern Waikato riverine lakes and their tributary systems facilitated rapid eutrophication. This is reducing the mauri of our fragile lakes, noting that these lakes hold mana and immense cultural and historical significance. Today, Lakes Waikare and Whangape remain hypertrophic (where lakes have extremely high concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen, and are over fertile, they are rarely suitable for recreation and lack habitats for desirable aquatic species *) while Lakes Waahi and Rotongaro are supertrophic(*) All four lakes have extremely poor water quality, and all suffer from the contributing factors: e.g., effluent waste from agriculture, soil erosion, lack of wetland and riparian filters and Koi infestation.
Drought:
A lack of water impacts the survival of our taonga such as our plants and animals, which hold additional cultural importance to our people, as well as medicinal purposes. For example, during a drought, tuna and whitebait becomes more difficult to harvest, and the lower the water table caused by drought, the more concentration of pollutants are in the water Thus, causes a higher risk of contamination in mahinga kai Drought can also change the flow of streams and rivers which makes it more susceptible for Te Whakakitenga marae to secure kai for those taonga reliant to water flows Drought can also change the air quality when industries cannot rely on water as a source to power energy. Industries may have to burn alternative fuel to generate energy which may contributes to more pollutants emitted into the air potentially impacting nearby marae settlements quality of life Drought can also allow invasive species to take hold (e g , Pampas and Privet etc) and may also allow new invasive species to migrate into areas where there used to be water
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Our Taiao and Climate Change
Our Fisheries:
Waikato-Tainui fisheries play a vital role in the economies, culture, and subsistence lifestyles for our people Waikato-Tainui tribal fisheries have been severely impacted by land management practices, habitat destruction and resource exploitation Activities such as hydro-dams, the introduction on non-native species, overharvesting, and deforestation of stream banks, have dramatically reduced the health and abundance of native fish as well as by further altering fresh and saltwater ecosystems Additionally, as water temperature rise, so too does the spread of diseases and water-borne pathogens, which can be detrimental to aquatic species Similarly, warmer fresh water may change competition between invasive and native fish
Our Native Forestry:
As trees try to withstand droughts, they reduce photosynthesis, deplete their carbon stores, and produce less carbohydrates and resin, which are essential to their health. Rising temperatures, erratic rain patterns, and longer droughts will significantly alter the cover and distribution of forests and trees over the next years. Warmer temperatures can also change the flowering time in native plant species, causing overlap with invasive plant flowering, potentially decreasing pollination opportunities and reducing the size of the next generation of plants
Biosecurity risks:
New invasive plant-destroying insects, weeds and diseases will increasingly challenge Aotearoa borders as a warming climate make our plants and ecosystems more exposed and vulnerable. Biological invasions are already a big concern for Aotearoa with its unique insular ecosystem and being home to one of the highest proportions of threatened indigenous species in the world Climate change will affect our growing environments and the pests and diseases that threaten them, and significantly affect future biosecurity risk
Pathogens such as are on the rise This is due to pathogenic bacteria optimal growth
temperature is between 32 – 38C Avian botulism is also on the rise globally It is a disease that causes birds to be paralysed and often (Clostridium Botulinum) results in death Warmer temperatures and anoxic conditions have been occurring more frequently within parts of Waikato, possibly resulting in an increase of avian botulism incidents Once these factors lead to production of the toxin in material eaten by fish, the toxin can be passed up the food chain as wild birds consume the contaminated fish or eat the maggots from the decaying carcasses of infected individuals. Lakes, wetlands environs etc are prone to harbouring botulism spores. Waikato has already experienced a Botulism outbreak within the Hauraki Whangamarino Wetlands and in Lake Te Ko Utu, Cambridge and Avian botulism outbreaks are expected to be more frequent
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Te Hurihanga Taiao o Tainui Waka
Image provided by NIWA
Human Health and Climate Change
Extreme weather conditions and patterns can cause illness and death In fact, extreme heat events are ranked among the deadliest of all natural hazards. The most vulnerable are our kaumaatua, expectant mothers, new-borns, kohanga reo aged children, the chronically ill, the obese and people with cognitive impairment. This also includes socioeconomic deprived communities, whaanau with housing issues, and whaanau without access to air conditioning or who have difficulty with access to transport to a swimming pool, beach or who have difficulty buying and running an electric fan. Very high heat can lower blood pressure, causing a person ’ s heart to beat faster and putting them at risk for a heart attack. The heart failure mortality rate among Maaori is already more than twice as high as that of non-Maaori, and Maaori are about 4 times as likely as non-Maaori to be hospitalised for heart failure (MOH, 2018) Because effects of heat are associated with relative rather than absolute temperatures, even in New Zealand’s temperate climate, people can experience negative health effects with modest increases in seasonal temperature
Other vulnerabilities include loss of mahinga kai and consequent loss of food security; ‘loss of maatauranga Maaori in the face of rapidly changing ecological conditions’ and changes to water availability
These vulnerabilities stem as part of Tainui connection to the generational umbilical life-line relationship we have with our Taiao
Future Climate projections and implications for Human Health
Climate change impacts on human health may include: impaired air quality, increased concentrations of ground-level ozone and changes in particulate matter; longer and more intense pollen seasons resulting in more allergen-based asthma episodes; greater smoke exposure from the increased frequency of wildfire events; the potential for greater transmission of vector-borne disease outbreaks as a result of more intense precipitation events; increases in food and water-borne disease; compromised food security because of climate impacts to the agricultural sector, mental health and stress-related disorders; and finally, extreme temperature and heat waves resulting in more heat related deaths.
Several specific climate related health impacts are detailed here:
Disease Vectors:
Climate can ‘influence vector-borne disease risk by impacting the abundance and distribution of tick, mosquito vectors, the percent of vectors infected with disease agents, the abundance and distribution of animal reservoirs, the presence of suitable habitat for these vectors, and people’s behaviours that bring them into contact with
infected vectors ’ Not only does climate impact disease agents, like mosquitoes (which can bring in dengue fever and Ross River fever), it may also influence human behaviour in ways that bring people into greater contact with vectors
Impacts
to food security/Maaori traditional diet and Rongoa:
Plants and animals traditionally used for Maaori foods and Rongoa may become less available because of the effects of climate change Plants and animals may expand or shift their range as global temperatures continue to rise, but if they become inaccessible to the people who use them, our connections with our taonga could be lost. Ecological changes are a critical issue for Whakakitenga marae because we transform resource availability and landscapes in ways that affect our cultural identity, our mana, knowledge, sense of place, and social cohesion
Impaired air quality:
Warmer temperatures are expected to result in increases in ground-level ozone and changes to particulate matter concentration and allergen prevalence The atmospheric circulation patterns which in turn alters the meteorological factors that serves to disperse pollutants, means that certain areas like the Waikato basin will likely experience greater atmospheric stagnation and therefore more build-up of air pollutants For example, Waikato sits in a basin between two majestic ranges which causes a stagnant atmosphere. This is often reminded by the renowned fog that we have
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Did you know?
Hot weather means your body must work harder to keep its core temperature to normal levels, and this puts extra strain on your heart, lungs and kidneys This means that you can be at greater risk if you have a heart condition So, it’s particularly important to stay cool and hydrated during sweltering hot days
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Image provided by NIWA
Future Energy
Central and South Auckland are the highest energy user in Aotearoa which contributes towards 20 6% of national demand, whereas Waikato Region is the 4th energy user which contribute towards 9.2% of national demand
As the world recovers from a pandemic and economies begin to rebound, there has never been a greater demand for electricity The clean energy transition is beginning on a global scale and is beginning to take shape, but fossil fuels are still dominating demand Energy consumption in the Aotearoa residential sector is predominately electricity A large amount of total primary energy supply comes from renewable resources through Hydro, geothermal, wind and bioenergy. The Waikato River produces approximately 10% of Aotearoa electricity Recent droughts have caused both hydro inflows below the 90-year average for the first half of the year in 2021 Dry conditions were observed in the Waikato River thus causing importation of coal to increase to maintain the demand for electricity in Huntly power plant and a plan change to seek alternative ‘burn’ material such as biomass material sourced from forests
Solar farms:
Solar represents the cheapest form of new electricity generation. Waiterimu is currently the hotspot area for new energy developments The existing energy infrastructure at Waiterimu means that future solar energy farm developments will
have easy access to the national energy grid. A solar farm on a 380-hectare site at Waiterimu is in the preparation to connect to the national electrical grid will have approximate 140-megawatt peak and will comprise 225,000 solar panels up to 3 5 metres high and, occupying approximately 63 hectares Further interests from other Solar farm developers are also on the rise near this area At the time of writing, we note that none of these developers are tribally affiliated, but hopefully this will change over time
Biomass:
Biomass energy in Aotearoa makes up around 7% and is expected to rise by 12-14% in 2035 Biomass is derived from plants and is used as fuel such as forestry waste using fast growing forests (15 years) that are dedicated to energy use, or short rotation crops (1 to 3 years) on flat land. There is a significant amount of wood waste going into clean fills that do not record the amounts of material being dumped. For wood processing residues, Waikato is at a deficit which suggest that there is little wood processing residue available outside the industry once incumbent users demands are met There is trading between entities and some of this is across regional boundaries (e g Waikato and Bay of Plenty)
There have been several heat plants around Aotearoa that have made a change in the recent past to using wood as fuel. Generally, the displaced fuel has been a fossil fuel, and many have been coal boilers Te Hurihanga Taiao o Tainui Waka | Page 8
as areas have already begun to s in key ecosystems parameters climate change More frequent er and sediments to coastal nges in frequency and intensity rm events will occur This will ctioning of marine ecosystems nce on habitats, food webs, and s and marae connection to the ikely to be aggravated by future rosion continues, coastal and d be directly affected within 1-3 h rate of erosion continues. Even e , average rated of 1-2 m/yr front rows of marae properties along the west coastline and severely eroded at any time For te change may have little or no e those marae that may have to o climate change For marae ies, the impact of sea level rises loss of intertidal habitat and kai.
gical sites: Over 250 recorded s are between Manukau and ny are of high archaeological collectively they make up an t archaeological landscape. cal sites are under threat from human fossicking.
Land reclamation in coastal urban areas
Aotearoa has been reclaiming land from sea since the late 1800s Traditionally, this meant building a series of dikes to enclose tidal marshes or shallow offshore waters and draining these enclosures to create dry land In some cases, streams were diverted to carry additional sediment into these areas, building up the land to a higher level.Soil and stone could be excavated from inland and dumped along the shore or on the coast of existing island, gradually expanding the land into sea. But these reclaimed lands are not prepared for sea level rise These built urban spaces are beginning to experience sudden flooding and storm surges where cyclones and heavy rain have tossed waves over seawalls and submerged nearby streets and causing coastal erosion.
References:
Estrela-Segrelles et al, (2023). Climate Change Risks on Mediterranean River Ecosystems and Adaptation Measures (Spain). Water Resource Management. 37: 2757-2770. (Also available via: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11269-02303469-1
Harrington Luke J (2021). Rethinking extreme heat in a cool climate: a New Zealand case study. Environmental Research Letters. 16 034030
Ministry of Health (2018) Tatau Kahukura: Maaori Health statistics Cardiovascular disease
