5 posts tagged “indigenous biotech”

Billed as "Providing information on understanding and growing your geothermal capability" the hui - organised by GNS Science & Te Puni Kokiri and held at the Heritage Hotel - was aimed at Maori owners of landblocks holding geothermal resources.  According to the invitation panui:

The prime objective of this seminar is to provide opportunities for the Maori economic sector to engage and focus on successful pathways to commercialising their unique resource potential

As would be expected the majority of those attending were connected with the larger Ngati Tuwharetoa and Te Arawa trusts & incorporations.  Overall the hui provided a good range of subject areas and relevant expertise, with the Chilean speaker Luis Urzura (who is also from the Mapuche people on his mothers side) drawing a particularly good response from the audience

But as with last years geothermal conference the resource potential was overwhelmingly focused on energy rather than extremophiles.  This imbalance is difficult to resolve given that the financial cost and therefore risk of an unsuccessful drilling exploration on just one site can be in the region of $7 - 8m; larger than the entire annual funding available from FRST for Maori research & innovation.  Better to build deals where the energy companies carry most of the risk rather than the landowners or otherwise focus on local solutions for papakainga

 

 

 

"Yes our use of geothermal will be sustainable but the point is our people are broke and want to get the maximum return from their resource" - Jim Gray 

 

 

 

"In many ways [the use of geothermal resources] has to be led and driven by Maori - I don't see it as being government's role in leading where Maori research & development should go" - Reece Moors

 

 

 

Big thanks to the Aorangi Awanui Trust for supporting this mahi, and especially to Tama, Krystal & Charlie who showed us around their spectacular maunga in te rohepotae o Mokai-Patea.  Kia ora Stephen for bringing it together

We took heaps of photos - these are just a few to give you an idea of how choice it was doing bush research.  Will upload a selection of more informative photos from the fungi survey in a seperate post

 

A brief photo essay sampling various shots taken to identify types of forest fungi on a landblock bordering the slopes of Pirongia maunga. It was such a perfect day that we just kept climbing to check the awesome views from the top

A local korero gives Pirongia maunga as the place where Tuhoe-potiki met his end after falling off the side of one of the many precipices found in this rugged bush country

The International Network of Indigenous Health Knowledge & Development Conference occurred over 15 - 17 October in Rotorua

To download a pdf version of the Whenua.biz poster prepared for the INIHKD Conference click here

Whenua.biz hui to progress the 'Kaupapa Advisory Ropu' on their whakaaro around our current projects. The agenda focused much of the discussion on the tikanga and traditional applications associated with the Awheto cordyceps fungi, namely Rongoa & Ta-moko

We thank you all for the tautoko + challenging korero - kia ora Kaihoro, & cheers everybody!