ABOUT PROJECT KĀINGA

In this research we are working with seven rural marae communities to help them respond to the challenges of
climate change. These kāinga (communities) want to build resilience to climate change impacts
that they are already experiencing such as flooding, droughts, changing waterway biodiversity and quality
and sea level rise. In addition to exploring innovate new activities on their lands, community households
and marae can also prepare for changing climate futures and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions at
these scales.

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Our research aims to help kāinga to develop tikanga-based, economically affordable and community-relevant responses to climate change, which may also help tackle other related ‘big’ issues like food sovereignty, water quality, energy affordability and poverty. Ultimately, through research and development over 5 years, we hope to build a mix of innovations and leadership responses that do one thing: restore oranga, or good health, to lands, water and our people.

Research team members  have been involved in many conversations and hui with key community members, establishing the issues (including climate change) that each community is facing and the engagement plan for the 5-year period of the research. Some of our participating communities in Northland have faced significant climate change impacts since the project start, with first an extreme drought, followed by record-breaking rain. This has been very challenging for the communities and makes our research very timely.