The Whakatōhea Kaitiaki Forum, established under Part 4 of the Whakatōhea Claims Settlement Act 2024, is the primary mechanism for co-governance and environmental management of rivers and catchments within the Whakatōhea rohe.
Enabling Whakatōhea to participate in river and catchment management
Strengthening mana whakahaere and traditional guardianship
Advancing the vital essence and spiritual power of water
Building partnerships with councils and agencies
This structured approach significantly encourages greater hapū participation and strengthens their endorsement of environmental management initiatives.
The Mauri Compass Dashboard
Comprehensive assessment of six catchments using the Mauri Compass framework, providing quantitative scores across four assessment domains: Te Ao Māori, Nga Tini A Tangaroa (Taonga Species), Te Ao Taiao (Environmental Health), and Catchment Health.
Each catchment is evaluated using standardised indicators across multiple domains, with scores ranging from 1.0 (critical condition) to 5.0 (excellent condition). Data gaps are identified where traditional knowledge and scientific monitoring require integration.
Date: 12-13 June 2025 | Tūtāmure - Te Aho Wānanga
Participants: 20+ uri from across Te Whakatōhea hapū
Facilitators: Ian Ruru, Riaki Ruru, Ashlee Mio, Ropata Simpson, Logan Bertram, Tawa Kingi and Marella Morrison
Mō Māori, he taonga te tuna – he taonga ahurea nui. He maha ngā ingoa o Māori mō ngā tuna, he whakaahua i ō rātou tae me ō rātou rahi rerekē, ā, he whakapai hoki hei hononga ki ngā atua.
He tawhito hoki ngā tuna, he rite ki a Aotearoa nei. I ngā miriona tau, kua tipu rātou hei kaikino matua o ngā awa, roto, awa hoki o te whenua.
I tētahi tahuhu, he taketake rangi tō Tuna, ā, i ahu mai i a Puna-kauariki, he puna i ngā rangi teitei rawa.
I roto i te puna Puna-kauariki ko ngā whānau kē: Parā (kōpiro hukarere), Ngoiro (kōpiro roa), me Tuere (Lamprey, Piharau, Kanakana rānei).
Te pokapū whakahaere, kei konei katoa ngā mōhiohio whakakite ka whakawhakatika.
Ka whakangā i raro i te wai mā te tauhokohoko kāhui me te kōmau hāora ki te raina toto.
Ka kōkiri/kōpikopiko i te toto puta noa i te tinana.
He whakawhanaketanga, whakarerekē, puritia hoki ngā kai. He nui hoki tana mahi ki te whakangaro i ngā pūtau toto tawhito.
Ko ngā tuna wai māori o Aotearoa he "catadromous", arā, ka whānau ki te moana engari ka noho ai te nuinga o ō rātou rā ki te wai māori.
Ka whānau ngā tuna kotahi anake i mua i a rātou mate. Ko ngā taiao whakatipu tawhito mō ngā tuna kei tata ki a Hawaiki.
Ka kawea ngā kōhungahunga tuna (leptocephali) ki Aotearoa mā te South Equatorial Current.
Ka uru ngā miriona kōhungahunga whakarerekē (tuna karaihe) ki ngā ngutu awa me ngā awa mai i Ākuhata ki Tīhema.
Ko te whakangā tohu he tawhiti mai i ngā tuna karaihe ki ngā elver. Ka kōpikopiko ki runga i Ianuari me Pēpuere.
Ko te wāhanga nui o te raina roa ka whakatakoto ki ngā taiao wai māori i mua i a rātou whakangā hoki ki te moana.
Ko te mahinga kai he uara whakangā i raro i te National Policy Statement – Freshwater Management 2020. He whakanui tēnei i ngā uara a Māori mō te wai māori.
Me mahi ngātahi ngā kaimahi i ngā awa. Me whakarite i ngā taputapu haumarutanga katoa pērā i ngā kākahu atahua, ngā waders, me ngā lifejackets.
Me whakaaro, me whakatinana hoki ngā tikanga me ngā kawa o te tangata whenua. Me tiaki te wairua o ngā awa mā ngā tikanga me ngā kawa tika.
Me whakamahi ngā taputapu ā-ipurangi me ngā pukapuka mō te kohikohi raraunga Mauri Compass. Ko te tuna dissection me te otolith extraction he wāhanga nui.
"Kia mau ki ngā kupu o ōu tīpuna" - He taonga nui tēnei mātauranga mō ngā uri katoa.
How this global framework applies to small coastal Māori communities in New Zealand.
Background on the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience and the two-year work programme
How 78 technical experts refined and developed the indicators through collaborative review
Comprehensive overview of the 100 globally applicable indicators across all targets.
Assessment of methodologies, data availability, and disaggregation capabilities.
Key insights and recommendations for implementation and future development.
This report represents the culmination of extensive collaborative work by international experts to create a robust foundation for measuring climate adaptation progress globally.
For us, adapting global indicators means embedding them within our worldview. We can’t just import them wholesale. It's about taking these frameworks and making them relevant to our tikanga and our whakapapa to land and sea.
Mātauranga Māori, our traditional knowledge, is paramount. It offers crucial insights for climate adaptation measurement, often providing solutions that Western science is only beginning to understand. Our tupuna observed environmental shifts for generations; that knowledge is invaluable for today’s challenges.
Our communities are inherently vulnerable. Sea level rise and coastal erosion threaten our homes, our urupā , and sacred cultural sites. These aren't just physical losses; they are deeply spiritual and cultural losses that impact our identity.
The Mauri Compass framework offers opportunities for hapu / iwi to lead. By aligning global indicators with our local needs and practices, we can drive adaptation efforts that are culturally appropriate and highly effective.
Applying global indicators to our small, isolated communities presents a scale challenge. What works for a nation might not directly apply to a hapū of a few hundred people. We need flexibility and a nuanced understanding of local realities.
Protecting our cultural heritage and integrating traditional knowledge isn't an add-on; it's fundamental. Our adaptation strategies must weave together modern science with ancient wisdom, safeguarding our past for future generations.
Practically, this framework can help us prioritise actions, secure funding, and demonstrate the impact of our efforts. It provides a common language for reporting while allowing for local methodologies to gather data that truly matters to us.
Finally, the intersection of Indigenous rights and climate adaptation measurement is critical. Our rights to self-determination and to protect our cultural landscapes must be at the forefront of any framework that seeks to measure climate progress.
It's about ensuring these global conversations genuinely serve and uplift those most directly impacted, allowing our voices and unique knowledge systems to shape the solutions for a resilient future.
The 78 experts were strategically allocated across eight expert groups - one for each thematic target and one for the adaptation cycle targets. Following guidance from CMA.6 in Baku, experts could participate in multiple groups to enhance cross-collaboration.
Expert groups convened and began systematic review of 9,529 compiled indicators
Hybrid workshop in Bonn facilitated peer review and collective assessment
Final expert meeting in Nairobi refined indicators to 100 globally applicable measures
Experts invested substantial amounts of time beyond their regular responsibilities. Many participated across multiple time zones, with some attending climate negotiations in Baku and daily meetings in Bonn.
- Rationale and Relevance: Global applicability and adaptation significance
- Cross-Target Connections: Indicators relevant to multiple targets
- Metadata Status: Availability of methodologies and data sources
- Data Availability: Current status and accessibility of required data
- Measurement Units: Specific units or qualitative descriptors
- Means of Implementation: Access, quality, and finance considerations
- Operationalisation: Steps needed for Party reporting
The indicators connect climate impacts, risk context, adaptation actions, and measurable results through a logical framework that supports comprehensive monitoring and evaluation.
Impact, vulnerability, and risk evaluation
National adaptation strategies and policies
Action delivery and means of implementation
Evaluation and learning systems
Many indicators can be disaggregated across multiple dimensions, including social, livelihood, ecosystem, and geographic categories, enabling nuanced analysis of adaptation progress.
The water-related indicators address the reality that most climate-related disasters are water-related, and most adaptation measures involve water in some form.
Indicators measuring reduction in water stress and improved access to safe, affordable potable water
Resilience measures for floods, droughts, and emerging hazards like glacial lake outburst floods
Water supply and sanitation systems designed to withstand climate impacts
These indicators draw from established global frameworks including the SDGs and Sendai Framework, whilst incorporating modifications to ensure relevance to climate resilience goals.
The health indicators address three critical dimensions of climate-health adaptation:
Monitoring progress in reducing climate-related morbidity and mortality from heat, infectious diseases, and occupational injuries
Tracking coverage of essential health services and mental health support for climate-sensitive events
Measuring early warning systems, vulnerability assessments, and health workforce capacity building
These indicators enable monitoring of both climate-related health risks and the effectiveness of adaptation measures, with emphasis on social and geographic disaggregation.
The seven infrastructure indicators focus on essential services and adaptive planning that reduces climate risks and impacts on communities, acknowledging both formal and informal settlement needs.
Adaptive basic infrastructure availability across diverse communities
Climate-informed infrastructure and settlement planning processes
Participatory design of adaptation plans and infrastructure
These indicators acknowledge the importance of adaptation planning for temperature goal overshoot scenarios and capture complex risk dynamics that may signal adaptation limits requiring transformative change.
The eight cultural heritage indicators focus on protection from climate-related risks whilst promoting the integration of traditional, Indigenous, and local knowledge systems in adaptation planning.
Climate adaptation measures for vulnerable heritage sites and infrastructure retrofitting
Enhancing resilience of cultural practices and digitisation of vulnerable heritage
Emergency preparedness plans and adaptation policies including heritage safeguarding
Training programmes engaging Indigenous Peoples and local knowledge systems
These indicators emphasise climate-resilient infrastructure guided by traditional building practices and the meaningful engagement of Indigenous Peoples in heritage protection efforts.
The planning indicators assess the quality and comprehensiveness of national adaptation planning processes through three critical components.
The indicators evaluate whether Parties have national adaptation plans and strategies, whether these are developed through participatory and gender-responsive processes, and whether adaptation considerations are systematically integrated into broader development frameworks.
These measures capture relevant enabling factors for adaptation implementation, focusing on policy and institutional structures that support long-term resilience building.
The expert assessment reveals that metadata is available for nearly a quarter of indicators, with established methodologies from global frameworks providing a strong foundation.
Available with minor modifications expected
Existing metadata needs adaptation-specific adjustments
Completely new indicators requiring fresh methodologies
Key sources include SDG metadata repositories, Sendai Framework monitoring systems, and databases from FAO, WHO, UNFCCC, and other UN agencies. This foundation enables rapid operationalisation whilst ensuring consistency with established global monitoring systems.
Principal Authors