Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura Research hui

Te Rūnanga o Kaikōura (Ngāti Kurī, Ngai Tahu) hosted a research hui on July 26-27 with participants from NIWA, Cawthron, the Universities of Auckland, Victoria Wellington, and Canterbury, at the Takanga Marae in Kaikoura. The gathering was initiated following Joshu Mountjoy (NIWA) inviting Ngāti Kurī representatives aboard the Tangaroa research vessel to show them the research underway on the deepwater canyon dynamics, following the 2016 Kaikōura Earthquake. Ngāti Kurī have expressed deep interest in the array of research endeavours underway, particularly as it applies to their kaitiakitanga of mountains, waterways, foreshore coastal and deepwater environments.

Following a pōwhiri ceremony and overnight stay, the group of about 40 researchers and iwi members exchanged findings, ideas and aspirations for collaboration and work that could improve environmental conditions in the takiwā, the awa and the moana. Jon Tunnicliffe form University of Auckland represented the Earthqauke-induced landscapes programme, presenting the changes to the river systems as a result of landslide derived sediment moving through the catchment to the coast.

Several important areas of overlap were identified, including around the quality and abundance of mahinga kai, river response to landslides and gravel extraction, and the healing timeline of the landscape. Now that these threads of common interest have been identified, and the network established, more focused exchanges will continue in order to forge future collaborations and funding opportunities.