New Zealand CAN is pleased to announce that Ngā Tirairaka o Ngāti Hine has today joined the Network.
Ngā Tirairaka o Ngāti Hine is the mandated environmental organisation for Ngāti Hine and carries out work on catchment management, policy planning and lobbying government. The organisation also assists other indigenous peoples in this kind of capacity building.
It is a member of the Māori National Network, Te Hiringa, a network under the Environmental Protection Authority.
Additionally, Ngā Tirairaka o Ngāti Hine the logistical organisation for the Pacific region for the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change and the organisation's General Manager, Tui Shortland, is the focal point. Ngā Tirairaka o Ngāti Hine led a delegation of 17 indigenous delegates to COP21.
The organisation is also a member of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity. Tui Shortland is the regional focal point on the working party for indicators and the international focal point for indigenous diplomacy.
New Zealand CAN coordinator David Tong welcomes their membership:
Indigenous people have a crucial role to play in our shared struggle for climate justice. Too often, they are on the front lines of climate disaster and fossil fuel extraction, facing structural injustices worsened by climate change.
We are excited to have our first Māori organisation joining New Zealand CAN. Tangata whenua bring a unique and important perspective, very relevant indigenous knowledge, and lived experiences of structural injustice to Aotearoa New Zealand's movement for a just transition to a safe climate future.
Tui, in particular, played an important role at COP21, and we are especially pleased to welcome her into the node.