January 28, 2019
Tenzing sons protect realm of the gods
The son of one of the first men to stand on the summit of the world’s highest mountain is endorsing an initiative to encourage all travellers in Aotearoa to see themselves as kaitiaki or guardians of the environment.
Norbu Tenzing and his brother Dhamey Tenzing Norgay are in this country as guests of New Zealand Māori Tourism.
They’ve been hosted by tangata whenua at Hikurangi and Aoraki, and this week are with Ngāti Tūwharetoa to see activities around Ruapehu plateau.
Norbu Tenzing says as indigenous peoples Māori and Sherpa have a similar respect to mountains.
"Mountains are sacred places just like for us Sherpas and Tibetans and Nepalis in the Himalays, Chomolungma (Mt Everest) is a sacred place, it's the mother goddess of the world. That's where our gods live, and we need to preserve these beautiful mountains for our future generations and those who tread on these high mountains would bear in mind what's happening in New Zealand with the Tiaki promise, maintaining a culture, maintaining a language, maintaining an environment and just leaving your footsteps behind," he says.
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