I am a pūkenga (tutor) at Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Ōtaki campus and work in a range of kaitiakitanga roles. I run a Māori environmental consultancy with a small team that supports iwi all over the country, and also does work providing advice to Māori collectives and government on Māori environmental issues. The work that takes up most of my time is as the Pou Takawaenga Taiao for Te Āti Awa ki Whakarongotai which involves managing a team who undertake the kaitiakitanga work of the iwi. I have a PhD in Envirnomental Planning and my thesis was focused on mātauranga Māori tools for modelling water catchments.

I've always been passionate about being an active member of my iwi, hapū and whānau and working for our people to see their aspirations and values in relation to te taiao realised. I grew up in Ōtaki and my favourite place in the whole world is Ōtaki Beach. 

Mana Motuhake and the Moon

This talk will traverse the topic of mana motuhake at various levels in relation to the moon. First it will look at the origins of maramataka and how to develop ones own maramataka as a tool to guide personal mana motuhake. Next, it will look at the broader constraints kāwanatanga continues to apply that limits our ability to care for ourselves and the taiao in a way that is consistent with maramataka and the broader mātauranga Māori worldview. Lastly, it will discuss the sovereignty and personhood of the moon itself, and current threats to the critical relationship between all life on our planet and the moon.