After a flood in the town of Ngongotaha forced the evacuation of hundreds; a storm blew a tree through a roof at Pāruaharanui marae, and kiwi was scattered on the beach at Maketu following a landslide; climate change took on new urgency for the people of Rotorua-based iwi Te Arawa.
In 2018, Te Arawa Trust established Te Urunga o Kea, the Te Arawa Climate Change Working group, to prepare for climate change. Bringing together representatives from the trust, Te Arawa tribes, health organisations and associated entities including the Te Arawa Primary Sector, they have identified six climate change priority areas for their community. These include adaptation planning and disaster management, biodiversity, circular enterprise and economies, energy, food and water security and sovereignty, and land use change.
Lani Kereopa is the Climate Change Coordinator at Te Arawa Lakes Trust and talks about their strategy and priorities. She says, "in terms of priorities for the iwi, the most important at this stage is probably the protection of our cultural infrastructure and communities".