What was to have been called the National Institute of Land Environments Research was renamed Manaaki Whenua following a discussion between the establishment team and a kuia in Northland, who said this Māori name fitted the purpose as described to her. The ethos of manaaki whenua, manaaki tangata became embedded, meaning the reciprocal care between people and the environment.
In time, the link between Manaaki Whenua’s kaupapa and te ao Māori worldview became the backbone of many partnerships. More recently, we formally acknowledged the principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi and built them into our ways of working, focused on Māori partnership, participation and active protection of taonga, including the nationally significant collections and databases that we curate.
Manaaki Whenua achieved an exceptional reputation for excellence in land-based science. Our credibility with our clients comes from applied work based on a foundation of highly cited research in the international literature.
The importance of our social science is also well-recognised. Understanding people, their attitudes, motivations and actions, is critical if pathways are to be found to better environmental management.
As New Zealand’s lead agency for ecosystems research, we provide benchmarks against which change can be understood and therefore managed. We also use evidence from the past to inform land management in the future, increasing resilience to change. Protecting New Zealand’s natural environment and restoring its biodiversity may seem like an extravagance in a cost-of-living crisis. But it matters critically. New Zealand’s natural ecosystems underpin our bioeconomy – which is of course New Zealand’s economy.
Our scientists’ skills are deep and broad, working across sectors and making connections across many disciplines at landscape scales. We bring all of this expertise, backed by our valued and knowledgeable support staff and the trust of our many partners and collaborators. into the new Bioeconomy Science Institute.
We look forward to working with you there.
Manaaki whenua, manaaki tangata, haere whakamaua.