Cultural Views, Perspectives and Observations of the Health and Wellbeing of the Rotorua Geothermal System

Abstract

Te Ahi Kaa Roa are a collective of representatives from the hap? and iwi who have maintained continuous occupation of ?hinemutu, Whakarewarewa and Ngapuna villages in Rotorua since pre-European times.
Ahi Kaa refers to the ‘burning fires of occupation’, and the wh?nau who reside in these villages have a long and unique relationship with the geothermal resources, features and activity around them. Each geothermal t?onga or feature is named and ‘known’, in terms of their characteristics, behaviours and perceived personalities. Their m?tauranga, which includes intergenerational knowledge, is built upon sensory-based tohu or indicators.
Council has legal requirements and obligations to M?ori under the Treaty of Waitangi, Resource Management Act 1991 and Local Government Act 2002. Because of their intergenerational knowledge and experience, Bay of Plenty Regional Council (Council) initiated the establishment of the group as one way to enable and ensure a tangata whenua lens or perspective regarding the management of the Rotorua Geothermal System and that mana whenua are afforded a clear voice in the review of the Rotorua Geothermal Regional Plan (Doorman, Bhana & Camburn, 2020).
While not the sole focus of the group, a key output of this relationship has been the collation of cultural views, perspectives and observations of the current health and wellbeing of the Rotorua Geothermal System. This paper focusses on this aspect of the groups work acknowledging that their involvement in Council’s process and aspirations for the management of the Rotorua Geothermal system are broader.
While there are similarities in what is measured in cultural and contemporary terms (e.g. behaviour of geothermal features), the M?ori worldview highlights that the environment and all it sustains (including people) is interconnected and cannot be looked at in isolation.
There has been a significant change in geothermal use and management over time by tangata whenua due to the intergenerational impacts of colonisation and resultant loss of control over their natural resources. Subsequent land use and development within the city, and the bore closure programme in the 1980s have occurred without iwi consent or input.
Te Ahi Kaa Roa hope the knowledge and m?tauranga shared as part of the current work with Council will help to inform future management and monitoring of the system.