A Meeting of Nations

In March 2024, 18 people from the Xwémalhkwu First Nation in British Columbia landed in Aotearoa New Zealand to embark on a trip like no other. Over the next 12 days, they would meet iwi and hapū /Māori tribal units from around the country, to share experiences and knowledge first-hand, all in aid of raising a future generation of leaders.

Learning and cultural exchanges between Indigenous Peoples around the world are key to global conservation. Meeting face to face is a powerful way to foster knowledge, ideas and values transfers and to create lasting relationships that create support networks for shared problem solving. The Nature Conservancy and our Canadian affiliate Nature United are proud to support these exchanges to foster diffusion of community-led conservation and practices.

Supporting the next generation of leaders is a shared Indigenous value, and this trip was specially designed to foster sharing of knowledge across generations and Indigenous cultures.

“Be an open door for your young people—they are full of ideas and will jump at the opportunity to share them,” said Tiare Iti, Waikato-Tainui speaking to the group at Rangiriri Paa.

Creating the next generation of stewardship leaders helps youth leaders find stewardship jobs and helps create local sustainable economies that are grounded in Indigenous values. This helps communities build sustainable natural resource management and sustainable livelihoods, while supporting their people, cultures and well-being.

Follow them as they travel around the country.

Connecting our future guardians to the land: Xwémalhkwu me ngā Iwi Māori—Cultural Exchange

By Arpége Taratoa (Ngāi-te-Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Rārua)

Visiting Te Tai Tokerau (Northland)

From Tāmaki Makaurau, the roopu headed North to Te Tai Tokerau, where they were met with a wero at the Treaty grounds. It was the first time the visiting Xwémalhkwu group had been met by a wero during Pōwhiri proceedings and it was something the young group members in particular, were inspired by. 

Chief Darren expressed the intention behind the visit, but also the intention behind bringing their youth. “Mostly we came to learn what the Māori do in their territory, how they look after their lands and waters, and how they execute their authority over their territory,” He says. “We’re looking to do the same in our territory, and we’re looking to have our young people learn as they’ll be looking after the lands.” 

Some of the younger ones in the group are guardians, and are learning to look after the land and learn the place names, so the connection between language and land is an intrinsic part of the shared values between Māori and the Xwémalhkwu people. He further highlights, “our language is connected to the land so the guardians have to develop that connection and the expertise in the territory so that they can look after it—as we look after the land the land looks after us,”

With forestry being such a major enterprise in their home, Chief Darren expressed the importance of bringing their forester, Joanna Dobson, as they’d like to learn how Māori are doing forestry in a way that is less intensive and economically just as viable. “As we become less intensive in our forestry, then our salmon will do better, because right now, with the way logging practices are, our salmon suffer from that and our populations decline.” The Xwémalhkwu aim to buy out forestry tenures so they have autonomy over forestry decisions that impact their territory and the sustainability of their salmon.

Following whakawhanaungatanga with Ngāti Hine and Ngāti Te Tarawa at the Treaty grounds, and a venture to see the waka down at the beach, the group was taken to the Manea Footprints of Kupe. It was a fully immersive event, with actors on stage telling the story of Kupe and a 4D experience.

For one of the group members, the story held greater gravity for her. Charity Perrault, who works with the youth, has lost two sons, and the story of Kupe leaving his son behind felt poignant. During the visit to see Tāne Mahuta, the largest known living Kauri tree the next day, Charity shared a deeply spiritual exchange with one of the hosts, who took her to a place where they could view the treetops, and release what she was holding. Charity shared, “it’s amazing how much easier it is to heal on another land, that isn’t your own, but you feel deeply connected to.”

The roopu experienced their first Marae stay at Te Whakamaharatanga marae, where Eamon Nathan who visited Campbell River on the first exchange in 2019, spoke about the projects he works on.

Chef Joe McLeod also visited and spoke about the kai sessions he was hosting the next day at another Marae nearby. He invited everyone to join, and though there was interest, the itinerary was pretty set. By some divine intervention however, the bus broke down that next day on the way back from Tāne Mahuta—right outside the marae he was hosting at.

The roopu were able to go in and participate whilst the bus got sorted, and the discussions were rich in kōrero around food sovereignty and reconnecting to traditional foods. Northland seemed to bring serendipitous moments, and organic exchange, which indigenous communities are so aware of as important signs and intentional interventions from the taiao! One of the silver linings within this uncanny breakdown, was being able to indulge in some beautifully prepared salmon—something the group of course have high standards on!

Fred Coupal, who grew up away from his people, with his non-native father, shared that the exchange is teaching him so much about the similarities between the two cultures. He says, “All I knew about the Māori was from a video I’d seen of a Māori warrior doing one of their dances—and I thought it was pretty intimidating to watch. Other than that, I didn’t know anything about the culture or the people, and I had no idea just how close our experiences were with colonization—almost identical.” 

The engagements on Marae, through song, dance and food has inspired a desire to put more emphasis on recovering songs and language, and encouraging more people to become involved. Frank says, “I hope the next time I’m back here in your Marae, that I’m able to speak my language, and show you that your inspiration has made me and others go and learn.”

Ned Peita, a Rangatira of Ngāti Te Tarawa, Ngāti Hine, shared the importance of exchanging stories and supporting one another. “They’re here, looking for a way forward, and getting some support from the Waitangi Trust today, Tai Tokerau and Ngā Puhi. Hopefully they go around the rest of the country and see the support that’s here for their dreams and aspirations,” he says. “I’m just glad we were here to hear their story and know and feel the same pain that they feel.”

Kai, Chief’s son and Guardian of the land and forest, shared the importance of seeing and hearing from other colonized groups and learning how to gain strength and a sense of self. “It’s mainly about reconnecting to ourselves and forming a connection with people around the world who have experienced similar events of being colonized and finding the solutions that other people have found to reconnect into who they are after that loss that has come from it.” 

Visiting the Waitangi grounds and being in a place of such historical significance in Aotearoa was a powerful opportunity to gain insights into the history of Aotearoa and the shared traumas of both indigenous groups - particularly this early in the trip, where it could form foundational context to the projects and movements happening around the motu.