A Māori earth sciences expert says the Māori approach to the protection and sustainable use of water is gaining momentum.
Auckland University associate professor Dan Hikuroa was one of the closing speakers at last week’s Water New Zealand conference.
He says there needs to be a move away from treating natural resources as commodities to be exploited for profit and towards treating them as an integral part of our lives.
“I don’t think its going to be as hard as you expect . And then of course there are going to be some whose minds I’ll never change – I’m not interested in them. It’s those folks who are willing to see sense, and who are willing to think of a future that we all want – not just one that’s about money because you can’t eat money,” Dr Hikuroa says.
He says Maori input to local councils has brought a more holisitic view to resource management, and more in line with a global trend to give indigenous practices more attention.
