Globally there is growing recognition of the benefits that Indigenous peoples can bring to ecology and conservation, drawing on deep spiritual and cultural ties to the environment. Despite the potential benefits, incorporating indigenous Māori knowledge into science and environmental management is hugely under-represented in New Zealand and the inclusion of Māori researchers into mainstream science is painfully slow. We searched all issues of the journals published by the New Zealand Ecological Society from 1953-2018 and found only three papers that feature research partnerships with Māori and/or explore indigenous knowledge in a meaningful way. Ecological research until now has not made a substantive commitment to community partnerships and bicultural research. We need to find ways that allow scientists and Māori to gain benefits from different world views, experiences and knowledge systems.
Results/Conclusions
Māori are under-represented in academia, although proportions are increasing. In 2019 only 5.6% of academic staff in New Zealand’s eight universities were Māori, even though Māori currently comprise 16.5% of the total population. Furthermore, many Māori academics are in junior positions; in 2019 only 3.5% of Professors were Māori. There is also under-representation as university students, particularly at postgraduate level. For example, in 2019 in Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland, only 2.8% of PhD students were Māori. Nevertheless, there are plenty of Māori graduates who could become academics. We consider ways to make academia more inclusive, improving the ability of universities to form genuine partnerships with Māori communities. Manaakitanga (generosity / care / reciprocity) is a core Māori value. Adopting this ethos when developing relationships between Māori and ecologists will drive more inclusive research. We also recommend increased use of Indigenous languages to help maintain cultural diversity, knowledge and different ways of interpreting the world. “Kua takoto te mānuka” is a Māori proverb referring to a traditional challenge. Our challenge is for ecologists to develop more widespread and effective partnerships with Indigenous people to improve our ecological understanding, working together to deliver better ecological outcomes.
