Kahikatea tū i te uru

Exploring connections between trees, people, culture, biodiversity, and climate change in Ōtaki

Kahikatea tū i te uru emerged from an inclusive space where diverse backgrounds and perspectives wove together to form a strong kete of knowledge. It responds to our increasingly fragile ngāhere ecosystem by exploring ways of understanding and communicating the importance of native trees through a science, design, and te ao Māori lens in the local area of Ōtaki. The project name, Kahikatea tū i te uru, strength in numbers, anō nei he toa takitini, reflects the strength gained in a gathering in which everyone supports each other as seen in the root system of a grove of kahikatea. It resonates with the intentions and the outcomes of this research, including insights into: How the tikanga of kaitiakitanga protects Papatūānuku and her cloak of life, working alongside insects and birds; How insects and birds thrive when trees grow together closely; How people grow together when reconnected with their whenua, their wai within their taiao, and in the case of this project also through the planting of trees; How carbon dioxide is more likely to be absorbed and to stay out of the atmosphere when trees grow together and in doing so support a new ecosystem; How different disciplinary research methods can intertwine and strengthen each other.