Paul-Burke, KuraEllis, Joanne I.Bulmer, Richard H.McGowan, Pā (Robert)Reihana, Kiri2026-10-302026-10-302026-10-21https://hdl.handle.net/10289/18729Indigenous Knowledges, traditions, practices and ways of being are increasingly present within the global marine conservation discourse. As long-standing intergenerational custodians of a large percentage of the earth’s natural areas, many Indigenous communities seek to play a central role in co-defining the issues, co-participating in the process and co-designing the solutions for their lands and water resources. The value and benefits of Indigenous-led conservation, knowledge creation and participation are exponentially expanding within scholarship. This research is located within Ōhiwa Harbour, an estuarine inlet in the Bay of Plenty, in the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. The thesis explores historical and contemporary information of the identified taonga (sacred, treasured) species tuangi, or cockles, within Ōhiwa Harbour. The research was designed to identify relevant tools and technology to address the declines of the tuangi populations, and to assist iwi (tribes) and authorities in providing information for decision making over the shellfish beds. Finally, findings of the thesis produced species distribution models which assisted in understanding tuangi-preferential habitats within the estuary, and the development of rapid site-assessment techniques based on mātauranga Māori (Cultural knowledge system). This thesis uses a transdisciplinary mixed method approach inclusive of mātauranga Māori, marine sciences, and technology. This research is led by kaupapa Māori (a Māori way of being, seeing, and doing) informing and developing a Tīwaiwaka framework informed by multiple evidence-based approaches as a means of weaving multiple knowledge systems. To achieve this, the guiding framework and methodology emerged from the te ao Māori conservation movement Tīwaiwaka, which prioritises kaitiakitanga (active stewardship), unification and reciprocating co-existence with our natural environment. Results from the legislative review on marine governance highlighted historical colonial exclusionary policies, accelerated extractive practices and tools displacing Māori people and culture on the settlement of Aotearoa. The polarity of views from the two cultures set the backdrop of the ensuing misunderstandings over management and governance of the marine space, and all natural resources, within Aotearoa. Therefore, future aspirations herald a call for a paradigm shift from the existing extractive model to an inclusive sustainable marine model which maintains a “respectful” relationship with our oceans, inclusive of Māori values such as tikanga (customs and traditional values in a Māori context), rangatiratanga (self-determination, autonomy), kaitiakitanga, mana (authority, status, influence) and mauri, (divine spark, force or energy) to name a few. Results from the field studies showed that legal-sized tuangi have not been harvestable within Ōhiwa since the mid-1980s. There is an urgent need for integrated culturally responsive marine management actions. My study highlights the importance of the local traditional knowledge in identifying tohu (here I define tohu as a “observable cue,” an expression of mana, or mauri, communicated through the environment) for rapid broad-scale mapping techniques for habitat monitoring and assessment locations. These techniques can be scaled up and prioritise areas of interest within harbours, depending on species and/or objectives. The use of technology to interpret and analyse population dynamics confirmed Elders’ knowledge of the species and spaces within Ōhiwa Harbour. The Tīwaiwaka framework developed to address the declines of tuangi has provided an exemplar for the weaving together of multiple knowledges for shellfish management within Ōhiwa Harbour. This model of transdisciplinary estuarine and coastal regeneration, inclusive of Indigenous Knowledges such as mātauranga Māori, fulfils global conservation initiatives such as Article 8(j), of the Convention of Biodiversity, and the United Nations Decade of Oceans Science for sustainability, creating “the science we need for the ocean we want” as robust scientific-based solutions. Creating new knowledge through the weaving of mātauranga Māori, marine science and technology provides a pathway for transformative environmental change. The weaving of Indigenous Knowledge, ecological assessment and species distribution modelling generated new insights into tuangi populations and identified priority monitoring and restoration sites. The observational tohu identified are long standing environmental indicators that enabled rapid site assessment and the recognition of areas of significance. While tohu have long informed Māori environmental kaitiakitanga, this research formalised their application within contemporary conservation practice. More broadly, the Tīwaiwaka framework demonstrates a transferable Indigenous-led model for marine conservation, co-management and knowledge co-development that maintains the integrity of multiple knowledge systems while delivering culturally grounded, scientifically robust solutions for environmental governance and biodiversity conservation.enAll items in Research Commons are provided for private study and research purposes and are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.Mātauranga MāoriTīwaiwaka FrameworkIndigenous ConservationTohu TaiaoTaonga Species RestorationTransdisciplinary ResearchIndigenous Knowledge SystemsMultiple Evidence-Based ApproachesThesis