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All images courtesy of University of Auckland Creative Arts & Industries

Funded Years: 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23

Kauri Dieback, Myrtle Rust and Public Awareness
Through Arts Practices

Research Brief

We plan to develop and implement this project based on our extensive collective research knowledge and experience of weaving arts and artistic research paradigms with:

• mātauranga Māori

• public psychology

• current ecological science

• education and community perspectives and

• qualitative research frameworks.

We will provide for a post-doctoral position over 2.5 years and support at least two externally funded PhD students.

Creative, mātauranga Māori and qualitative research processes will be designed and carried out alongside and as part of each arts project. Qualitative and creative methods will allow for a rich understanding of the ways different individuals and groups engage with, understand and respond to the artistic works and education workshops.

Partnerships

Over three years, we propose to partner with a number of iwi/hapu around Aotearoa where kauri dieback and myrtle rust are:

• having an impact

• are a threat, or

• could likely occur,

to create arts projects that build public awareness and connection. With iwi guidance we will commission and carefully curate three artists each year, over three years to create public arts projects in public locations appropriate to iwi/hapu rohe. This could, for example, include:

• public carparks beside ngahere

• local town shopping centres

• road sides and public signage

• schools and community centres

• online platforms and

• anywhere else that may engage with the public.

In each year of this project we will partner with iwi/hapu to hold wānanga, led by iwi/hapu, with curators, artists, scientists and us, towards developing individual arts projects. Each individual arts project will have both temporary and permanent components.

We aim to involve nine iwi/hapu. We will make a permanent gift to each host iwi/hapu and have a permanent web site to showcase our learnings. We currently have close links with several iwi through our previous projects and collective research.

Art Practices

Examples of approaches in this project could include:

• photography

• public signs with design

• online projects on various platforms including social media

• public performance art

• sculpture and

• live art/performing arts in various forms and the arts with science and citizen science.

Proposed arts projects will, where possible, include artists with whakapapa connections to the selected rohe. We anticipate this will help to achieve collective engagement and ownership of the environmental issues facing each community.

Research Outputs

Videography

Fiona Apanui-Kupenga (Ngāti Porou) has created a video documentary Mate Tipu Mate Rakau with Graeme Atkins documenting the impact of myrtle rust in their rohe. This has positive feedback from a test audience, and was screened at Te Uru on the 26th June 2021.

This documentary is now due to be released in further public forums.

Public Artwork

Charlotte Graham (Waikato, Hauraki) is producing an artwork based on a series of education based public art workshops. Charlotte has run two public art workshops as part of the social-whakawhanaungatanga component of her project to build public awareness on this ecological issue. These workshops were held at Te Uru Gallery (Titirangi) and the Auckland Art Gallery and have been met with positive public responses. The presentations were combined with ecological workshops by plant pathologist Nick Waipara.

The final public instalment of her artwork will be completed at the end of 2021.

Design & Graphics

Tyrone Ohia (Ngāti Pukenga and Ngāti Te Rangi) is developing design and graphic material that will initially be web-based. Tyrone has also produced a design brief to create posters and billboards for a public campaign around myrtle rust and has fixed billboard sponsorship in Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Whanganui ā Tara with the company Media5.

Planning for other public avenues is also occurring and Tyrone’s project will be completed by the end of 2021. 

Toi Taiao Whakatairanga Website

Toi Taiao Whakatairanga works with artists to explore public awareness around Myrtle Rust and Kauri Dieback and positive behaviours as kaitiaki, caring for and respecting the mana of our ngahere/forests.

Toi Taiao Whakatairanga is a cross-disciplinary research project, bringing together arts, science and te āo Māori to raise awareness of threats to the health of our ngāhere. Over three years the project is commissioning Māori artists to develop new artwork through creative engagement with iwi, hapu and community across areas impacted by kauri dieback disease (Phytopthora agathidicida) and myrtle rust (Autropuccinia psidii). By tracing the dynamics of interactions between communities, artists, Mana Whenua and people engaged in forest kaitiakitanga, Toi Taiao Whakatairanga aims to contribute to understandings of how artistic practices can engage with colonial science and mātauranga Māori frameworks.

The project involves artistic research paradigms, mātauranga Māori, social science, ecological science, public pedagogy and community perspectives to grow public awareness and positive behaviours as kaitiaki, caring for and respecting the mana of our ngahere/forests.

TTW will contribute to knowledge of how artistic practices and epistemologies can interrelate with scientific and indigenous frameworks through research and publishing articles contributing to building public awareness.

The arts projects will be presented in a range of public forums and will be reflected on through research and published articles.

Project Resources

Project Summary

Myrtle Rust Karakia

Public Works

Publicity

Public Media

Peer Reviewed Publications

Mollen, M., Jerram, S, Harvey, M., Waipara, N. Athena, C., Craig-Smith, A., McBride, C. (2021). Public awareness and the ngāhere: “Art-science-indigenous perspectives on raising public awareness of ecological threats”. Article being submitted to Antipode Journal, by July 25, 2021.

Abstract: Public awareness and the ngāhere: Art-science-indigenous perspectives on raising public awareness of ecological threats 

The pathogens Phytopthera Agathacida (KauriDieback) and Austropuccinia Psidii (Myrtle Rust) are ravaging native trees in Aotearoa New Zealand. Aotearoa’s unique biodiversity profile means the intrinsic value of indigenous species should be unquestionable. However, management of biosecurity threats is typically driven by global market priorities and Western (colonial) science. Such approaches largely ignore indigenous Māori knowledge and ontology, within which native species are tāonga (treasure) and tīpuna/tupuna (ancestors), and fail to give Māori sovereignty over their tāonga, as guaranteed by Te Tiriti ō Waitangi. Contributions to biosecurity from the social sciences, humanities and arts have also been side-lined. This paper proposes an approach to public awareness based at the interface of Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), the arts and colonial science. Specifically, the arts can grow biodiversity awareness in a way that acknowledges different paradigms, reveals complex and incomplete information, and supports the mana motuhake of iwi and hāpū over their ngāhere.

Harvey, M. (2021). “Public rāhui and road blocks in Aotearoa: Navigating iwi/hapū perspectives and manamotuhake”. Article submitted to Journal of Public Pedagogies: special issue: Apocalyptic Pedagogies: Rethinking Publics and Publicness in the Time of Apocalypse.

Jerram, S., Kake, J. & Paul, J. (2021). Hapū rangatiratanga and muncipalism: A report from the global south. Report. Commissioned by Minim, Municipalist Observatory. (Under review)

Peer Reviewed Conference Presentations

Harvey, M. (2020). “Artistic Research in Aotearoa”. Artistic Research: Experimentation, time and radical doubt. Conference Presentation, Society of Artistic Research Association Conference (SARA), University of Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal (20th October).

Jerram, S. (2021). "Contact Zones in the Kauri Forest" Conference Paper, at the New Zealand Geography Society Conference. Wellington: Victoria University of Wellington. November 20.

Project Engagements

Ecological workshops

(Held as stand-alone events)

Myrtle Rust, Plant and Food Research, Mt Albert, with Nick Waipara, March 15th, 2021.

Myrtle Rust, Plant and Food Research, Mt Albert, with Nick Waipara, April 20th, 2021.

Kauri Dieback, Huia Dam, Waitākere Hikurangi, with Frerik Hjelm, Biosense, April 20th, 2021.

Public Panels

Harvey, M. (2021). Keynote panellist (with Marie McEntee, and Robert Beresford), Auckland Parks Society of Friends, Allendale House, Auckland, 15th March.

Harvey M. (2021). Guest panellist, Kauri Community Hui, Ngā Rakau Taketake, Zoom event, 20th March.

McBride, C. & Karaka, E. (2021). Rāhui. Public Panel. Auckland: Visions Gallery. 1st May.

Hui

Te Roroa, Waipoua Forest, Feb 16-17th, 2021.

Te Roroa, Waipoua Forest, June 11th, 2021.