Our cultural narrative
Te Tāruke-ā-Tawhiri takes a deeply cultural narrative that is embedded in this place – Tāmaki Makaurau.
The narrative speaks to the struggles of
Tāwhiri-mātea, the primal ancestor associated with weather. Tied to the Māori creation narratives of the universe and the world, Tāwhiri-mātea is seen to be influencing our climate and accelerating the change in our climate in response to human induced climate change.
The narrative calls for a change in our response to climate change, re-framing, re-imagining and re-setting the current system, and a shift from a human-centred approach to an ecological-centred approach given our symbiotic relationships with the natural environment.
The call to action is now
Mana whenua cultural narratives speak to two key themes that are a result of almost 1000 years of observations and applied learning within Tāmaki Makaurau (built upon 50,000 years of mātauranga / indigenous knowledge systems that arrived with
tupuna waka from across
Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa).
The climate, as part of a wider
whakapapa / intergenerational symbiotic system of relationships, is always moving and changing.
We are responding specifically to the impacts of human induced change as a result of western-centred values, behaviours and systems.
- Our
tupuna Atua are reciprocating those behaviours, which we refer to Te Tāruke-a-Tāwhiri – the struggles of Tāwhiri.
- Within those cultural narratives also lay the key to our response to ‘climate change’ through the construction of a
mātauranga Māori framework or tāruke, using the knowing, thinking, lived experience and wisdom of our
tupuna, as in the construction of a
tāruke from
aka.
Tāmaki Makaurau is a story of place
Tāmaki Makaurau – Tāmaki loved by many.
Tāmaki herenga waka – Tāmaki the converging place of many canoes.
Tāmaki herenga tangata – Tāmaki the converging place of many peoples.
Te pai me te whai rawa o Tāmaki – The abundance and
prosperity of Auckland.
Blessed with a temperate climate, natural resources and a distinctive coastal isthmus, Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland has attracted human settlement and commerce for about 1000 years.
It is a coastal region, bordered by the Hāuraki Gulf, Waitematā, Manukau and Kaipara harbours and it is formed by a volcanic landscape, bush clad ranges and fertile plains.
Today, the number of people that have been attracted to the region has grown exponentially, and with this growth, comes benefits and challenges.
Our region is unique. Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland benefits from its diversity and the opportunity to learn from all the knowledge and experience that has come before us. We cannot succeed unless we all work together, build on our collective knowledge, and make sure that no one is left behind.
Auckland CBD viewed from Mount Victoria, Devonport
