RNZ: Looking to history to protect marae from climate change
- May 1
- 1 min read
RNZ highlights University of Waikato PhD graduate Dr Akuhata Bailey-Winiata (Tūhourangi, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Tutetawha) told RNZ many existing adaptation options, processes and frameworks don't consistently account for the cultural significance of marae.
Drawing on the whakataukī "Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua - I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past," he looked back through history for examples of marae or communities being relocated.
"So we found 51 examples of where hapū and iwi had either discussed relocation or had actually done relocation of the communities, marae structures in response to natural hazards. But I want to preface is that 51 examples just came from the written record and I know that that is just the tip of the iceberg. There'll be so many more examples through pūrākau, oral histories."
History clearly shows that for Māori communities adapting to natural hazards isn't a new thing, he said. "We know this, but sometimes we kind of forget that we have adaptation in our whakapapa. So I guess bringing it to the forefront was like, okay, yep, we've done this before, we can do it again if it's the right choice for us."
