Research themes for Te kete mātauranga a āhuarangi me te taiao - Environment and Climate Research Strategy

Research themes for Te kete mātauranga a āhuarangi me te taiao - Environment and Climate Research Strategy

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Te mauri ora Thriving nature
Te whakatika i ō tātau whanonga kino Reducing our impact
Ko au te taiao, ko te taiao ko au I am the environment, the environment is me
He taonga te whakarite Taking climate action
Te mauri o te wai Healthy waters
Te mauri o te whenua Resilient land systems
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Te mauri ora Thriving nature

This theme focuses on protecting and restoring the mauri of our native and productive ecosystems. It includes issues associated with land, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, indigenous biodiversity and biodiversity loss, mahinga kai, ecosystem functioning, biosecurity, and nature’s contributions to people.
Close up of a mossy tree with a fern growing up it.

Te whakatika i ō tātau whanonga kino Reducing our impact

This theme focuses on enhancing the health of people, the environment and its mauri by reducing harm from resource use. It includes research on issues such as pollution (land, water, and air), waste, tourism impacts, and systems for enhancing ecosystems and their mauri such as moving to a circular economy or intergenerational approaches to wellbeing.
kapiti beach clean up

Ko au te taiao, ko te taiao ko au I am the environment, the environment is me

This theme focuses on drawing upon te ao Māori ways of knowing and connections to our natural environment to understand issues associated with te taiao and inform and enhance decision-making. It includes research on issues that are Kaupapa Māori focused and are led by hapū, iwi, and Māori.
panorama adan suazo

He taonga te whakarite Taking climate action

This theme focuses on adapting to and mitigating climate change impacts on people and the environment. It focuses on cross-cutting climate impacts that are relevant to more than one theme. It will incorporate the research needs identified in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP). It includes research on issues such as climate pressures and impacts, adaptation including locally based solutions for hapū, iwi, and Māori, and carbon storage with regard to natural systems including the Māori estate.
summer 2020 1 1

Te mauri o te wai Healthy waters

This theme focuses on protecting and enhancing Aotearoa New Zealand’s aquatic environments
(including freshwater, groundwater, estuarine, coastal and marine environments) and their mauri,
along with the benefits they provide to ecosystems and people. This includes issues such as
freshwater takes, injection, and diversion (eg dams and irrigation), human health, te mauri o te wai,
and wellbeing impacts, water scarcity (including environmental and cultural flows), salt water
intrusion and salinisation, and water temperature (eg stream temperatures or marine heatwaves).
mclaren falls

Te mauri o te whenua Resilient land systems

This theme focuses on ensuring that land use supports and furthers sustainability for current and future generations, by aligning land use choices to enhancing ecosystem services and mauri. It includes issues such as urban growth, food sovereignty, soil security, and erosion relating to land use and management of modified (eg agricultural, forestry, urban) and native ecosystems.
summer 2020