Dr Valance Smith

Our tūpuna were experts in reading tohu o te taiao to live more attuned with the environment and gather kai at the optimal times. Their understanding of their own local taiao is recorded and woven throughout kōrero tuku iho. The maramataka is an example of kōrero tuku iho which provides a uniquely Māori way to record, organise and understand ngā tohu o te taiao.

This research project explores the utilisation of sonic mapping and LiDar scanning of Motiti marae and Tapuiwahine A12 landblocks, located 7 km south-west of Te Kūiti, on Mangatea Road. The principal hapū associated with Mōtiti marae are Ngāti Te Puta-i-te-muri, Ngāti Tauhunu, Ngāti Urunumia and Ngāti Kinohaku.The wharepuni are named Ko Te Hunga-iti and Te Hāpainga. The marae connects ancestrally to the Tainui waka, the maunga Kakepuku and Pirongia, the awa Mangapū and the tribal collective of Ngāti Maniapoto.