Indigenous communities are replete with powerful knowledges that have sustained their people and lands for generations, and are now being sought as having a considerable contribution to planetary, socio-ecological, or environmental health initiatives. As Māori and Indigenous Peoples, our intrinsic and deeply rooted connection with the environment is key to who we are and is often where our stories are positioned. Māori and Indigenous women, in particular, engage in embodied relationship with the natural environment in a range of ways, such as raranga (weaving), rongoā (medicine), māra (gardening) or korikori (physical activity) and more.

This research - part of a Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Matakitenga project - seeks to build on current knowledge, centring the contributions of Māori and Indigenous women to nurturing their people and places. It aims to explore kōrero tuku iho (cultural narratives) that are centred around the embodied connection that wāhine have to te taiao, and the reciprocal healing potential that lies within that relationship.
This research expands on the PhD findings of Heke (2022), with an intention to a shift in focus from the current anthropocentric approach to human and planetary health towards a more eco-centric perspective centring Indigenous knowledges. It seeks to explore how our intimate relationship with significant places can facilitate micro-climate actions, reciprocal healing relationships, or small-scale, Indigenous-led initiatives – through the development of a network of Indigenous women with key knowledge and skills in these areas. This presentation will present some of our initial findings (in video format) and aspirations for further work in this area.