Te taiao and the taiohi of Ngā Kaitiaki o te Ahi

Ngā Kaitiaki o te Ahi Trust weaves Mātauranga Māori and Western science into their educational curriculum to grow and maintain kaitiakitanga today, and for generations to come.

A kaupapa within the broader Ngāti Manu hapu of Te Tai Tokerau, Ngā Kaitiaki o te Ahi (NKOTA) creates and delivers educational programmes with an understanding that the development of their youth in terms of values, cultural connection, and innovation will equip and prepare them for any horizon in the future.

2. A group of young people crouch together outside engrossed in something in the long grass in front of them

Prepared for any future horizon

Through their programmes and initiatives, the NKOTA kaupapa branches out across many different areas of climate action. From their learning offerings to the young people of Ngāti Manu and their wider whānau and hapū, through to participating in the Northland-wide Īnanga Spawning Habitat Restoration Project – NKOTA know where they need to be, and what they need to do, to support both the development of their people and the protection of te taiao.

Operating out of Karetu Marae and the Kawakawa surrounds NKOTA are taking a practical approach to climate action education, one deeply rooted in Kaupapa Māori principles and intergenerational kaitiakitanga, to develop iwi youth.

In its entirety, the kaupapa is community-led, action-based, capability focussed, and inclusive of all who whakapapa Ngāti Manu – regardless of age, location, or language, nobody is being left behind on their journey of reconnection and revitalisation.

Inside a greenhouse, four young people gather around a smiling woman holding a sapling plant in front of her

Building a learning ecosystem

With their curriculum and programmes based on Māori environmental concepts and delivered in alignment with the Maramataka, NKOTA offer educational pathways that support an ecosystem of needs. Youth aged 7 - 17 get to participate in learning contexts alongside their immediate and extended whānau that are engaging, practical, and naturally build on their sense of responsibility for themselves and the planet.

We are relearning our ancestral knowledge, and the Maramataka is a part of that. It simply makes way more sense to us and feels right to move with the seasons. - Suz Te Tai, Ngā Kaitiaki o te Ahi

Guided by ngā wā o te tau (the four seasons of the Maramataka), each programme corresponds to a season, which in turn comes with a guiding whakataukī sharing lessons from the taiao. By structuring their activity using these overarching concepts, the scene is set for participants to engage in their major project within the context of the overall kaupapa. The layers of learning created by this process allows for differing levels of learning and thinking to take place, from the macro to the micro, furthering a holistic understanding of the natural world and the intricate relationships that determine its health.

A young boy and girl sit in long grass listening to a woman as she places an unseen object in the young girl's hand

Local action for international impact

The appetite for NKOTA programmes and events is widespread. At their second annual Tamariki Wānanga, over 100 Ngāti Manu tamariki and their whānau travelled from as far as Australia to Karetu Marae to take part in the three-day event. Tamariki (children) could be found practicing kapa haka, honing their tikanga by welcoming manuhiri onto the marae with mihi whakatau, collecting road-side rubbish with the support of SeaCleaners, and taking part in activities designed to allow self-directed learning of their whakapapa, maunga, awa, and marae.

When the time comes for youth to graduate NKOTA programmes, the young people stand confidently grounded in their connections to their marae, whenua, awa, and taiao with the skills to be kaitiaki who are able to contribute positively to the collective wellbeing of their whānau and hapū. True to their mission to equip and prepare their young people for any horizon, participants in the kaupapa graduate with the continued support of the whānau and hapu to identify and pursue learning and career pathways to further their development and opportunities.

Tamariki stay engaged and excited because connection is everything... The Tamariki wānanga provides a time and place for our tamariki, mokopuna, and whānau to connect. - Suz Te Tai

Outside of their activity in learning spaces, NKOTA also contribute to the global conversation surrounding environmental issues and the use of indigenous ecological knowledge and practices in climate action by presenting at international summits on their marae-based approach to addressing climate change.

A young girl smiles as she stands in a paddock next to a stream with two women smiling behind her

Three young people lean casually on a fence gate smiling under the cloudy sky

Building blocks of the future

The impact of Ngā Kaitiaki o te Ahi programmes and activity reaches far beyond the Ngāti Manu people and rohe. Their partnerships with organisations, community groups, and individuals from Tai Tokerau and beyond demonstrate their desire and ability to work collaboratively for the collective growth and protection of the environment, the people and communities of Northland, and indigenous climate-action kaupapa worldwide.