Learning to mitigate emissions : relevance of research with Maori hapu and iwi

Abstract

Currently, there is insufficient research on how New Zealand can achieve environmental sustainability through Māori iwi (tribe) and hapū (subtribe) relationships with land and sea, via the Zero Carbon Act. It is now agreed emissions from human activities negatively impact our atmosphere and climate with increasing frequency and ferocity. Applied research is vital to accelerate emissions mitigation action, as industry effects are considerable. The Greenhouse Gas Inventory estimates that the agriculture and energy sectors alone contribute almost 90% of New Zealand’s gross emissions, contributing to global warming. The purpose of New Zealand’s Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019 is to provide a climate change policy framework to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris Agreement. The Act is a ‘first step’ to carbon neutrality and nature restoration, but concrete, urgent climate joint-action is needed to achieve targets under the Act’s mitigation framework. This paper endeavours to address the research gap by considering specific beneficial partnerships that can be realised by co-creating research outcomes with hapū and iwi in Aotearoa, New Zealand and the cascading effect that the Act will have on other legislation, where mana whenua perspectives and implications are key considerations for the achievement of carbon mitigation targets. The importance of such a focus is in unlocking the potential of mātauranga (Māori knowledge systems), with relational co-creation through research. Stakeholders of the newly established New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST) must diligently teach, model and research sustainability in every discipline, as employers demand graduates with environmental acumen.