Native plants are important for the kaitiakitanga and guardianship of the hill country
Many farmers with steep erosion prone hill country are interested in revegetation with native species. To support farmers exploring the option of planting native vegetation on their farms, this programme evaluated several aspects related to growing native shrubs on hill country.
Over 70% of Māori titled land is in hill country farming, therefore, understanding the mātauranga applications of native shrub species was also vital to evaluating native plants in our hill country.
To fully evaluate the potential of native shrubs as an alternative forage and for kaitiakitanga and stewardship of the hill country a kaupapa Māori approach was needed.
Developing an understanding of the mātauranga of native shrubs
Three native shrub species – Māhoe (Melicytus ramiflorus), Pāpāuma (Griselinia littoralis) and Taupata (Coprosma repens) were assessed in steep erosion prone hill country in the Wairoa District.
Understanding the mātauranga of these species and related tikanga associated with their use was achieved by engaging with a Māori community of interest in kanohi-ki-te-kanohi (face -to-face) wānanga and interviews.
Initial investigation of mātauranga indicates that traditional knowledge of native plants is localised and reflected in names given to plant species by Māori as hapū and iwi in different areas.
For example, the names used for Māhoe include hinahina, moeahu, inaina, inihina, and kaiwētā and reflect different perspectives of the plant species.
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Acknowledgements
A big thank you to Joan Ropiha (Massey University) for taking the lead on this project for New Zealand’s sheep and beef farming community.
He mea hira ngā tipu taketake mō te kaitiakitanga o ngā whenua pukepuke
He tokomaha ngā kaipāmu, nō rātou ngā whenua pukepuke tūpoupou e whakamōreatia ana e te ngāhorohoro, ka hiahia ki te whakaora anō i te whenua ki ngā momo tipu taketake. Hei tautoko i ngā kaipāmu e whakaaro ana ki te whakatipu i ngā momo tipu taketake ki ō rātou pāmu, i arotake ai tēnei kaupapa ki ētahi o ngā āhuatanga e pā ana ki te whakatipu i ngā mauwha taketake i runga i ngā whenua pukepuke.
Neke atu i te 70% o ngā whenua i raro i ngā taitara Māori, he whenua pāmu pukepuke, nā reira he mea hira te kimi mātauranga e pā ana ki ngā momo mauwha ki te arotake i ngā tipu taketake kei ō tātou whenua pukepuke.
Kia arotake rawa i te pitomata o ngā mauwha taketake hei momo hamukai kē, hei tautoko i te kaitiakitanga o ngā whenua pukepuke anō hoki, e tika ana kia kaupapa Māori te aronga.
Te whakawhanake i te mōhiotanga e pā ana ki te mātauranga mauwha taketake
E toru ngā momo mauwha taketake – arā ko te Māhoe (Melicytus ramiflorus), te Pāpāuma (Griselinia littoralis) me te Taupata (Coprosma repens) i arotakengia mō ngā whenua pukepuke kua whakamōreatia e te ngāhorohoro kei te rohe o Te Wairoa.
Kua whai mātauranga mō ēnei momo me ngā tikanga e pā ana ki te whakamahi mā te toro atu ki te hapori Māori e hāngai ana ki tēnei kaupapa, kei ngā wānanga kanohi-ki-te-kanohi me ngā uiuinga.
I ngā tūhuratanga tīmatanga, kua tūtohu ai, ka noho te mōhiotanga ki ngā tipu taketake kei tēnā rohe, kei tēnā rohe, ā, ka kitea tēnei ki ngā ingoa kua tapaina ki iā momo tipu e ngā hapū me ngā iwi Māori o tēnā rohe, o tēnā rohe.
Hei tauira, ko ētahi o ngā ingoa e whakamahia mō te Māhoe, ko te hinahina, te moeahu, te inaina, te inihina me te kaiwētā, e whakaata ana i te āhua o te tirohanga atu ki tēnei momo tipu.
Ako tonu mō tēnei kaupapa