Korero whakamutunga
The western environmental system values the natural world (trees, plants, mountains, streams, rivers and so on), only in so much as it is meaningful to humans. Tupuna Maori would say that these things have values in themselves, that whether humans are here or not, the trees still retain their mana, the birds still retain their mauri ora, the mountains retain their tapu: they remain taonga!
Te Puni Kokiri–"Mauriora ki te Ao"
The core purpose of the Resource Management Act 1991 is the promotion of 'sustainable management'. It has taken years of environmental degradation for Pakeha to finally accommodate the notion that unless our resources are managed in a way that sustains them for future generations, there will be nothing left to nourish and nurture us.
Although the focus of this booklet is on informing your participation in Resource Management Act processes, we as Maori and uri of Paptuanuku have responsibilities far beyond that of any Pakeha law. The sustenance of our earth mother and ultimate kaitiaki is an inherent obligation in all of us. For as her mauri suffers from pollution and neglect, our well-being and mana as a people is also threatened.
We are obliged to protect, sustain and nurture her, whether this be through Pakeha law or Maori lore. This means that our participation in environmental management is not as much the issue as is our ultimate responsibility to our tupuna and uri. Therefore, regardless of the barriers, we must participate to a large extent in Resource Management processes and at the same time hold fast to our matauranga Maori and promote it in a way that restores the balance of natural order that once existed in Aotearoa.
E nga mana
E nga reo
E nga iwi o te motu
Tena ra koutou katoa.
