November 28, 2018
Māori to benefit from climate research funds
The Māori Climate Commissioner says Māori should be excited at the number of Māori scientists pitching in to work on climate change solutions.
Donna Awatere Huata has welcomed new funding for crown research institute GNS Science and the Resilience Challenge.
In the latest fund of the Government’s Endeavour Fund GNS got $11.2 million for three new multi-year research projects, on top its two Marsden Fund projects.
The Resilience Challenge got $40 million to research how New Zealand can bounce back from natural disasters.
She says it's a chance to produce science that counters the spin put forward by corporate interests, and it's done in a way that includes a mātauranga Māori component.
"So what is marvelous about this decision to fund these projects is there are Māori involved in them who are looking at how Māori can adapt to climate change, or how we can be more resiliant, how a marae can be more resiliant," Ms Awatere Huata says.
Māori climate research has included talking to kaumātua about alternate water supplies, and using traditional knowledge of fishing grounds to track the movement of species as the oceans warm.
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