27 May 2025 Success for Lincoln University through Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund

An iwi-led research partnership between Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea and Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University has been granted $249,676 from the MBIE-administered Te Pūnaha Hihiko: Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund to reframe climate adaptation as an expression of rangatiratanga and intergenerational wellbeing.

The project titled Ka Mate Kāinga Tahi Ka Ora Kāinga Rua - Integrating Mātauranga Māori and Geospatial Science for Climate-Driven Relocation Planning and Settlement Design in Aotearoa New Zealand will explore an iwi-led approach to long-term spatial and settlement planning that integrates geospatial science and mātauranga Māori. Based in Ōpōtiki, the research will explore nature-based design strategies that respond to the specific adaptation challenges and opportunities in the rohe of Te Whakatōhea, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

Mātauranga Whakatōhea will underpin a kaupapa Māori design framework that seeks to identify and map impact-prone whenua and communities; develop Māori-led urban and landscape design strategies grounded in tikanga, whakapapa and whānau aspirations; co-design iwi-led spatial and temporal planning strategies for future settlement and productive whenua; and explore the narratives of environmental change, designing communication outputs to engage with whānau and inform regional and national adaptation approaches.

The project’s outcomes will support national climate adaptation by centralising mātauranga Māori and tikanga in current and future landscape planning. It will also contribute to international discourse on Indigenous leadership in adaptation and the redesign of human–environment relationships.

The project will be conducted within the Lincoln University Centre of Excellence: Designing Future Productive Landscapes, under the leadership of Professor Pablo Gregorini, in partnership with Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea. The research programme will be led by Dr Shannon Davis and Professor Te Kahautu Maxwell (Te Whakatōhea, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato) who will be the Mātauranga Māori lead. They will be supported by iwi advisors Robert Edwards, Graeme (Paki) Riesterer, Danie Poihipi and Danny Paruru (Te Whakatōhea). Other researchers include post-doctoral fellow Dr Richard Morris, Dr Hanley Chen, and Dr Stuart Charters, who will contribute to the geospatial science and visualisation components. Ōpōtiki-based research and operations will be managed by Hope Hata (Te Whakatōhea).

Dr Davis says the research will be of great significance to Māori communities who face urgent and complex challenges to land use due to climate dynamics. Ōpōtiki – an area consisting of 64% Māori, and projected to increase to 75% by 2038, forms an excellent case study from which to develop and document an iwi-led approach to whenua adaptation planning.

The research methodology will be underpinned by Te Whakatōhea tikanga and narratives which tell the stories of relocation, highlighting the principle that from adversity arises the opportunity for change – ka mate kāinga tahi ka ora kāinga rua – exploring the opportunity for redesign, where iwi ambitions are upheld, and whānau aspirations are prioritised.

Dr Davis says, “Over the past three years, the Centre of Excellence Designing Future Productive Landscapes has worked with Te Whakatōhea on issues of whenua planning for kai security and healthscape analysis. This new funding will enable us to accelerate our work together, built on a foundation of mutual respect, tikanga and a combined sense that the research will have a long-lasting impact and benefit all.

“It is envisioned that this project will have a positive impact for Te Whakatōhea governance in supporting decision making within their rohe and communication with local and regional authorities, while providing Aotearoa New Zealand with an iwi-led case study of long-term whenua planning in relation to climate change impacts – an issue facing a significant number of iwi, hapū and whānau nationally.

“This research proposes to rethink approaches to future whenua planning and urban design, developing a uniquely Aotearoa New Zealand approach through Māori leadership, and the coming together of mātauranga Māori and western science.”

In the image: Research team members at a hui at Te Kura Hoahoaka Whenua School of Landscape Architecture, Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University. Lincoln University's Dr Shannon Davis, Dr Richard Morris, Anna O’Sullivan and Professor Pablo Gregorini are joined by Danny Paruru and Te Whakatōhea kaumātua Graeme (Paki) Riesterer, Danie Poihipi and Robert Edwards.

Photo credit: Hope Hata (Te Whakatōhea)