Incorporating Māori Values into Land Management Decision Tools

Environmental sustainability and the long-term wellbeing of Maori (the indigenous people of New Zealand) are interdependent and degradation of landscapes risks the progressive degradation of Maori wellbeing. The present study developed an analysis framework based on Ki Uta Ki Tai (holistic-mountains to the sea- management philosophy advocated by Ngai Tahu) for exploring relationships between landcover and Maori values to enable predictions of cultural values through space and time. We used this framework to predict how two Maori values (Overall Health and Cultural Land Use) have been altered as a result of landcover change between 2001-2012 in three Canterbury catchments. The area of native vegetation declined while exotic pasture increased between 2001-2012, and there were corresponding declines in both cultural health scores. These results suggest that the change in landcover has reduced the ability of the landscape to support Maori values. This framework for assessing changes in Maori values with respect to changing environmental conditions may identify opportunities for Maori to better engage in land use management decisions.