March 18, 2026

#NATIONAL | Indigenous leadership central to climate resilience strategy

Dale Husband Posted On March 18, 2026

Dale Husband #NATIONAL | Indigenous leadership central to climate resilience strategy

A new climate resilience programme led by Professor Paul Tapsell is placing Māori knowledge, community leadership and place-based solutions at the centre of Aotearoa’s response to accelerating environmental change.

As the inaugural Director of Lincoln University’s Kāika Institute of Climate Resilience, Professor Tapsell is advancing an approach that shifts the focus from top-down planning to locally driven strategies grounded in tikanga Māori and intergenerational responsibility.

Across the country, iwi and hapū are increasingly reframing how governance and planning respond to climate pressures, particularly as the impacts on whenua, waterways and coastal communities become more pronounced. Rather than relying solely on conventional risk management frameworks, mana whenua are embedding mātauranga Māori into decision-making, drawing on whakapapa connections to guide long-term stewardship and adaptation.

This includes rethinking land use, restoring natural systems such as wetlands and forests, and prioritising the health of ecosystems as a foundation for community wellbeing. In many cases, these approaches extend beyond immediate infrastructure concerns to consider cultural, spiritual and environmental outcomes over generations.

Despite this leadership, there are ongoing concerns that support from central government has not kept pace with the scale of responsibility placed on Māori communities. While there have been targeted funding streams and policy acknowledgements of Treaty obligations, gaps remain in consistent resourcing, legislative backing and institutional alignment. These gaps can limit the ability of mana whenua to fully implement their own climate strategies, particularly where decision-making authority remains fragmented or constrained.

Mana whenua-led adaptation models are increasingly being recognised for their distinctiveness. Unlike many Crown or council-led approaches, which often prioritise short- to medium-term infrastructure responses, Māori strategies tend to emphasise holistic, long-term resilience. This includes integrating environmental restoration, cultural revitalisation, and community development into a single framework, rather than treating them as separate policy areas.

There is also a strong emphasis on local knowledge and lived experience, with solutions tailored to the specific characteristics of each rohe. This place-based approach contrasts with more standardised national models, offering flexibility and responsiveness to changing environmental conditions.

As climate risks intensify, calls are growing for a shift in how partnerships between Māori and the Crown are structured. Greater decision-making authority for mana whenua, alongside sustained and flexible funding, is seen as critical to enabling communities to plan for the future on their own terms. There is also increasing recognition of the need for legislative frameworks that better reflect Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations in the context of climate adaptation.

Professor Tapsell’s work signals a broader transition in how climate resilience is understood in Aotearoa – one that recognises the value of Indigenous knowledge systems and the leadership of Māori communities in shaping solutions that are both enduring and locally grounded.

With environmental pressures mounting, the success of these approaches may prove pivotal not only for Māori communities, but for the country’s overall ability to adapt to a rapidly changing climate.