Koiora encompasses everything that has a life force, so when we think about koiora, it’s often in the context of other elements of te taiao (in particular whenua and wai). Thinking of everything that has a life force in this way helps to remind us of our whakapapa, and where we sit within that whakapapa as the teina (younger sibling) of every other element of taiao, and the responsibility that carries.

While we don’t have a lot of public data available in this space, it’s a good opportunity as a whānau to think about what this looks like on your whenua. Questions you might ask include things like:

• What did your whenua look like when your tūpuna occupied the whenua, or even before then?
• What are the species that used to thrive on the whenua (including rākau, manu, ngāngara etc)?
• Are there any remnant ngāhere areas on the whenua? If yes, what species exist there?
• Are there historic repo (wetlands) or waterways that still exist on your whenua or do you know if any existed there previously?
• Do you have any stories of mahinga kai that was harvested on your whenua or nearby?

If you have existing ngāhere, repo, or waterways on your whenua, you could have a whānau day to identify all the native species that can be found on your whenua. This is also really helpful if you want to do any replanting kaupapa on your whenua, or if you are interested in protecting any of the species that remain there.

Even if there are no native remnants left on your whenua, getting the whānau on the whenua to understand what grows and lives there is still a really useful thing to do.

While there are lots of research-based tools available (particularly for freshwater assessments) you can start off with things as simple as recording and discussing what you see, feel, smell and hear on different parts of your whenua.

This information estimates the locations of existing wetlands on your whenua in Aotearoa.  It is important that we monitor these for the future.

Wetlands support:

• unique biodiversity,
• filtration of nutrients and sediment out of our water,
• reduction of the impacts of floods,
• provide habitats for our taonga species, and
• act as carbon sinks.

This information helps to show where historic wetlands were located on your whenua. It helps to illustrate the changes in our environment and the loss of mahinga kai over time. It also highlights the reduction in biodiversity and natural functions on your whenua.

Wetlands support:

• unique biodiversity,
• filtration of nutrients and sediment out of our water,
• reduction of the impacts of floods,
• provide habitats for our taonga species, and
• act as carbon sinks.

Gain an understanding of the potential vegetation that exists on your whenua. This map shows your whenua’s ecological potential. It offers chances to restore native plants. You can also use it to see how land cover change affects your native wildlife.