Ngāti Ruanui stranding strategy

Ngāti Ruanui is a Māori iwi (tribe) with deep ties in the Taranaki region and whakapapa (genealogical) links to the mighty Taranaki Maunga, the iconic and deeply significant mountain that dominates the landscape.

They’ve experienced several whale strandings in their rohe (region) in recent memory, and have worked with tohunga tohorā (Māori whale experts) to produce their own marine mammal stranding strategy for the Department of Conservation.

This helps to facilitate fast and efficient rescue responses for stranded whales, and also to preserve traditional knowledge surrounding whale resources and taonga should the whales not be saved. By creating strategy like this, the iwi hopes to engage their people – particularly their rangatahi (young people) – in these cultural practices and to empower their traditional role of kaitiaki in their rohe.

They have kindly shared this knowledge with us, and some of the key points are outlined below.

All of the italicised text below is pulled from the Ngāti Ruanui Stranding strategy, ‘Mate Wai W’āngote’. Contextual additions made by Te Papa are marked by non-italic text or square brackets.

Note: you might notice a difference in some kupu (words) in Ngāti Ruanui’s text from other te reo Māori (Māori language) used in this course, like ‘apu vs hapu, w’akapapa vs whakapapa, or to’orā vs tohorā – this is a dialectal variation found in Ngāti Ruanui’s region of Aotearoa.

The purpose of the strategy

Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust (Ngāti Ruanui) and our tupuna (ancestors) have long associations with wai w’āngote (marine mammals). W’akapapa (genealogical ties) underpins our intricate and holistic connection which has developed over thousands of years and is reflected through Mātauranga Māori.

Their significance and use are observed by way of w’akatauki (sayings), traditional stories and mythology. For us, wai w’āngote are, as is the whole natural environment, connected intrinsically through w’akapapa linkages. Traditional creation stories refer to, in this case, Tangaroa (atua of the oceans) as the son of Papatūānuku, the earth mother, and Ranginui, the sky father. Henceforth, all wai w’āngote (Ai’e (dolphins), Kekeno (fur seals), To’ora (baleen whales, specifically right whales) and Paraoa (toothed whales, specifically sperm whales)), and our tupuna (ancestors) were created.

Ngāti Ruanui, ‘apu (sub-tribes) and w’ānau (families) have facilitated several stranding events and are continually working on the development of best practice management and cultural recovery. The Department of Conservation, our Treaty of Waitangi partner, recognises our skills and experience in this matter and has commissioned us to develop a Wai W’āngote ‘Ae’ae Rautaki (Marine Mammal Stranding Strategy). The Strategy incorporates our tikanga.

Tikanga is to do many right things, bringing people, places and processes together in the best way. The meaning of the word came from tika which means true and correct and nga which means to do more than one. It is about kaupapa (principles), values, and spirituality shared across Te Ao Māori (the world of Maori). In practice, tikanga includes (but is not limited to) making kai provisions, giving mi’i (acknowledgement) to our tupuna (ancestors) and offering karakia (prayer).

Tikanga

We’ve used the symbols of to’orā and waves in the Ngaru Framework:

▪ each wave represents our respective values
▪ the fins represent to’orā (whales), our ‘apū (sub-tribes) and w’ānau (families).

^{© Te Runanga O Ngāti Ruanui Trust}

For Ngāti Ruanui, wai w’āngote (marine mammals) are our tupuna (ancestors), a taonga (treasured thing). Wai W’āngote were recognised as Tuakana (elder brother) to man.

They are known for their strength, endurance, chieftainship, [and as] companions of high-ranking chiefs or to’unga (expert practitioner), and kaitiaki (guardians) during ocean voyages.

They symbolize abundance and richness because historically, they’ve provided our ‘apū (sub-tribe) and w’ānau (family) with food and material (large protein source, bone and teeth) and were often compared to chiefs. Due to the representation of to’orā (right whales) and paraoa (sperm whales) as symbols of abundance, they were sometimes depicted on facades of marae (Māori meeting places), papakainga (communal village) sites or precious items of high-ranking w’ānau (families).

The tikanga Māori values to guide how we will work together are as follows:

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^{© Te Runanga O Ngāti Ruanui Trust}

Spiritual safety

Before undertaking any work, one of our apū and w’ānau offers a Karakia (prayer) and Mi’i (acknowledgement to the animal/ancestors).

[In the case of a deceased whale, o]nce the karakia has been completed, the eye of the wai w’angote is removed and returned to the sea before work begins.

Access to appropriate water and containers will be made for the purpose of spiritual cleansing. Karakia are said for guidance, care, and protection.

At the conclusion of the process [and after thorough cleansing of volunteers and the area], a Karakia is offered, [the team is debriefed], and kai (food) is shared to celebrate our achievements and to conclude the event.

Hard choices

If at any stage of a stranding, the animal/s is/are in an obviously distressed condition, or it is clear that a re-floating operation is unsuccessful in part or full, or live mammals irretrievably strand, euthanasia will be required as advised by the Department of Conservation.

As euthanasia is such an emotive issue it is important to remember the option of a natural death.

Euthanasia of animals should be carried out by, or, under the instruction of, experienced personnel. Before euthanasia is attempted, several aspects MUST be satisfied.

• Counselling of bystanders: This is essential especially if people present have been assisting in the care of the stranded animals.
• Public relations addressed. Invest time in explaining why the decision was made. The reason for euthanasia is always the animal’s welfare.
• Public Safety has been ensured; this may involve crowd control.
• Appropriate equipment and trained staff available; It is very important to ensure that trained and experienced people are available in this procedure and that they have the right equipment and support.
• Safety measures for staff in place. Ranging from earmuffs to ensuring crowd control.

Practicalities

Organisation

We have identified two different management approaches for live and deceased stranded. Hence, we have two teams: one team called the Recovery Team is in-charge of providing first aid to live to’orā (whales) and in assisting the DoC (Department of Conservation) to refloat to’orā. The second team called the Flensing Team is in charge of harvesting part/s of deceased to’orā for cultural use depending on the state of the carcass.

Safety

As with all carcasses, the health risks increase as bacteria multiply within the decomposing carcass. The health and well-being of our ‘apu and w’ānau are paramount.

Consider the implementation of a ra’ui [a ra’ui is a temporary ban on foraging in an area due to politics, conservation or, as in this case, pollution by tapu and/or contamination] as the blood from the whale/s is likely to contaminate the Kaimoana (seafood) within the immediate vicinity of where the carcass is. It is the responsibility of Ngāti Ruanui to notify the community of the ra’ui, state how long it will stay in place, and the full area it is to cover.

All whale recovery/harvest sites are managed as per [the diagram below]. Maintaining the integrity of the three zones reduces the chance of disease transfer between the carcass and our apū and w’ānau and reduces the likelihood of accidents and/or injury. The Flensing Area are described below:

^{© Te Runanga O Ngāti Ruanui Trust}

• 1. “The Pit” (Operational Area): This “dirty” zone is occupied by the Crew that are in direct contact with the mammal. Once an individual is in this zone, he/she should not move across the transfer zone into the clean zone until they have washed up, with the assistance of the Flensing Support Crew. There are two zones within The Pit:
• Zone 1 – Where the Flensers (cutters) are cutting back blubber and flesh and separating bone etc.
• Zone 2 – Where the Gophers (using hooks) are picking up the different products and placing them in their relevant resource piles within the transfer site.
• 2. “Clean Support Area”: This zone is occupied by a minimum of two Health and Safety Crew including certified first aiders and one record keeper. Apū and w’ānau delegated to assist the flensing crew in the Pit (to give water or wipe off sweat when necessary or advised by the first aider) can enter this area.
• 3. The Clean Support Area is adjacent to a Contaminated Refreshment Area (CR Area) set-up for team members to rest and eat.
• 4. On the opposite side of the Clean Support Area is the Transfer Site. The Transfer Site contains vehicles and containers where resources are stored and then taken off site for processing.
• 5. “Public Clean Area”: This zone is occupied by apū and w’ānau/crew who had no contact with Whale/s. One of the primary positions within this area is the Media and Public Relations Lead.

Records

If [harvested] bone is distributed to apū and w’ānau, Ngāti Ruanui will need to give a certificate of authenticity so there are no issues with illegal trading from the bone distributed from our recoveries. The decision to bury the animal and the process of the burial will be directed by the ‘apū with the support of Ngāti Ruanui.

Processing and preservation

^{© Te Runanga O Ngāti Ruanui Trust}

It is important to understand that stranding strategies do not just deal with the stranding emergency event itself. Though it does do that, the mātauranga (Māori knowledge), captured and preserved in these documents go much deeper than that. We have seen throughout this week that the cultural and spiritual significance of whales and their harvested resources resonate for generations in te ao Māori (the Māori worldview).

This knowledge was very nearly lost during the generations where iwi Māori were denied access to these practices.

These manuals then, represent the dedicated collection, consultation, enshrining, and protection of the full scope of these practices – from beaching, harvesting, and collecting to the long term preservation of harvested taonga (treasures). They function to preserve Māori culture and its tikanga (strategies), and to tangibly pass it on to future generations.

You can see below an example of how detailed these instructions are. There is similarly detailed guidance on their long term storage and care too.

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^{© Te Runanga O Ngāti Ruanui Trust}

In the next step we’ll consolidate and reflect on everything we covered this week!