About this Action Plan
Taranaki Maunga
This action plan was prepared by New Zealand’s Biological Heritage National Science Challenge, Adaptive Governance and Policy Working Group.
This working group comprises Maria Bargh, Carwyn Jones, Erin Matariki Carr, Carly O’Connor, Tasman Gillies, Oliver McMillan, and Ellen Tapsell. It was established to consider ways in which governance and policy need to change to better protect te taiao.
The te reo name of this Action Plan ‘Me Tū ā -Uru’ relates to the whakatāuki ‘Me Uru Kahikatea’ which symbolises the strength of unity. Dr Vincent Olsen Reeder provided guidance on this name, to acknowledge the broader vision of our action plan – of being united in right relationships to each other and the environment.
This website is the home of our ‘Action Plan’ in a broader sense. Here we will share research, information, and content from the Action Plan itself, but also other research, ideas and content that aligns with our ‘vision’ and our relational framework themes.
We have guided our action plan with four key themes
OUR RELATIONAL FRAMEWORK
Theme 01
Whanaungatanga – Relationships
Whanaungatanga refers to kinship between all people and things – their connections through lines of whakapapa, and their interdependence with each other.
Theme 02
Utu – Balance and Reciprocity
Utu acknowledges the reciprocal nature of all relationships, and the obligation to sustain them in appropriate balance.
Theme 03
Mātauranga – knowledge and ways of seeing
Mātauranga refers to knowledge and understanding – to a way of seeing the world through a lens of kinship, of recognising the reciprocal responsibilities that arise from human-environment relationships.
Theme 04
Mana and Rangatiratanga – authority with care
Mana refers to authority, handed down through generations, to take action in the world.
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Themes
Aotearoa’s environmental and social relationships are out of balance. We are facing multiple, inter-related crises including climate change, biodiversity decline, poverty, and homelessness.
What can I do?
Me Tū ā-Uru proposes a new approach which prioritises balanced and healthy relationships between people and te taiao using a relational framework.
News & updates
Me Tū ā-Uru includes themed recommendations for Crown and all of government, Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti.