Matariki: the importance of a kaupapa Māori approach to environmental management

Matariki is the star cluster most commonly known across the world as Pleiades. For Māori the rising of Matariki signal te Mātahi o te Tau, the Māori New Year, and is a time to reflect on the past year, celebrate the present, and plan for the year ahead. Kathryn speaks to Dr Dan Hikuroa, who says Matariki reinforces the importance of a kaupapa Māori approach to environmental management. Dan is an earth systems scientist at Waipapa Taumata Rau / University of Auckland, who uses a kaupapa Māori approach in much of his research. His recent research includes connecting science to indigenous knowledge: kaitiakitanga, conservation, and resource management and Te Maramataka, which is an Indigenous system of attuning with the Environment, and its role in modern health and well-being.