Decolonising River Restoration: Restoration as Acts of Healing and Expression of Rangatiratanga

Abstract

AbstractWe argue that it is important to acknowledge that river restoration (both in theory and practice) still remains largely located within the realm of the hegemonic Western knowledge systems. In this chapter we challenge the Eurocentrism of dominant ecological restoration projects by documenting the different framing and approaches to restoration being employed by Māori (the Indigenous of Aotearoa New Zealand). We focus our attention on the collective efforts of one tribal group (Ngāti Maniapoto) who are working to decolonise how their ancestral river is managed and restored through the use of Indigenous Knowledge, augmented by Western scientific techniques. A key focus is on restoration that is underpinned by the principle of kaitiakitanga (environmental guardianship) and devoted to healing fractured relationships between humans and more-than-humans.