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We chat to Māori academic Raaniera Te Whata (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou, te Whānau a Apanui), who is currently completing his PhD, ‘Now. Then. Next. Whakapapa on Ancestral Landscapes in Tautoro, Te Tai Tokerau’. His doctorate looks at current issues and capturing the history of his homeland in Northland.

Raaniera discusses the indigenous New Zealand perspective regarding our environment and our natural resources, the effects of Māori urbanisation on rural areas and the Māori creation story and its foundation for the concept of kaitiaki (or stewardship) over the landscapes in which we live. He also takes us through some of the challenges local iwi face when dealing with local government when it comes to resourcing issues and explains a water rights negotiation happening in his home of Tautoro, as an example.