Kā Rongo Te Hā o Rūaumoko… Ka Mua, Ka Muri – Understanding the Impacts of Air Pollution from Past to Present

Abstract

The Whakarewarewa Village Charitable Trust has been collaborating with GNS Science for the past four years to build a framework for integrating related scientific data and Mātauranga-a-iwi. The focus of our work has been to better understand the immediate and chronic health effects caused by air pollution events. As outlined in the attestation letter from the Whakarewarewa Village Charitable Trust, the opportunity to undertake this project has been really exciting for us. It has allowed us to incorporate our own indigenous knowledge alongside western science understanding of the historic volcanic eruptions at Mt Tarawera, used by our guides with 300,000 plus annual visitors to Whakarewarewa Village. Our joint design of the project with GNS Science took into account the realities of living with natural hazards and adapting to this environment. Information was shared at hui and regular group governance meetings. Our research team contained experts from Whakarewarewa Village and GNS Science who shared an interest in exploring synergies between the two knowledge systems. A large report entitled: Effect of air pollution on humans exposed to extreme environmental conditions - Transition of Tūhourangi, following the 1886 Mt Tarawera eruption- has resulted from this work. This was a significant achievement and underpins our successful partnership with GNS Science in air pollution science. The success of this project and our partnership has laid the foundation for identifying new research opportunities. For the last two years Whakarewarewa and GNS Science have been successful in obtaining a second Vision Mātauranga project entitled: Te haurehu waikawa pungatara e pa ana te kaimahi Māori - Impacting of H2S on Māori workforce. This project is presented in this paper. Both organisations are looking forward to building our Mātauranga Māori and science capability into the future.