New role to help steer the waka
Mike Trent, Environment Southland’s principal advisor, Māori is helping to share knowledge about Te Ao Māori in Southland.
The role is a natural next step for Mike, as working with iwi and tangata whenua has been a large part of his career.
He spent many years working in the fisheries sector for the Ministry for Primary Industries. There he worked alongside nominated tangata tiaki/kaitiaki and the four Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku Rūnanga as well as whānau groups.
Mike joined Environment Southland as a senior investigator in the compliance team in 2017. Soon after, he began facilitating a regular weekly te reo and tikanga session with his colleagues to introduce and promote Te Ao Māori to compliance staff, and also to aid them in their work and personal growth.
In 2019, Mike was seconded into an iwi liaison role, which meant working between and supporting both Environment Southland and Te Ao Marama Incorporated (TAMI), which is responsible for mana whenua interests with regard to resource management, along with other aspects related to local government in Southland.
“Helping people gain a bit more of an understanding and perspective in relation to Te Ao Māori can only be beneficial, especially in local government. There are always people who will show some hesitancy, for various reasons, but generally, nothing is particularly insurmountable if parties don’t want it to be – it’s about understanding what the barrier is and finding a way to get past it together.”
The principal advisor, Māori role is about supporting staff to understand the responsibilities, considerations and obligations towards Māori in legislation such as the Resource Management Act and the Local Government Act. But more broadly, Mike wants to make sure knowledge and understanding of Te Ao Māori is embedded into the organisation.
“I’m not here to be the ‘Māori face’ of Environment Southland. What I’m here to do is to act more as a guide for staff, executive team and councillors so that te taha Māori (Maori aspect) is woven into the fabric of the organisation as a natural process.
“In order to move forward, we must be open, honest and have respect and understanding for each other’s culture. Māori have had to do that to live in the society that we have. To make that partnership real, it makes sense that we need to have the same effort for understanding, respect, openness and honesty for Māori culture.”
Dean Whaanga, Kaupapa Taiao Manager at TAMI, says Environment Southland and Ngāi Tahu ki Murihiku have been working together for more than 20 years. The principal advisor, Māori role shows a maturing and continued trust in that relationship.
“The Treaty of Waitangi is about partnership; we should all be clear about what this means. This role will allow the team at Environment Southland to strengthen their cultural understanding and create more opportunities for us to work together.
“Mike brings a strong mātauranga Māori component to the role. Mike will be able to korero (speak) with the team and create a safe yet strong culture, while building confidence. He’ll be able to support staff at Environment Southland to identify the opportunities that exist to work with iwi.
“Tena koe Mike, he mihi nui, he mahitahi, mauri ora te rangatira.”
Natural curiosity drives Mike to learn more about a wide and diverse range of subjects. He is often reading, researching and studying topics he’s interested in. On his days off, you’ll find him in his tunnel houses at Gorge Road, where his family hydroponically grow watercress and strawberries along with a variety of other vegetables and fruit, often experimenting with new ways to grow.
He started with one tunnel house, adding others over time and now it’s turned into a small business, which frequently sells out of its Southland-famous sun-ripened strawberries.
He’s keen to encourage others to join him and learn more about the world around them.
“I don’t profess to be anything special and I don’t see myself as that. Sharing knowledge is my way to contribute in a positive way to the organisation and in turn, the wider community.”
About Mike
Ko Ngātokimatawhaorua te waka
Ko Nukutawhiti te tangata
Ko Rotokakahi te awa
Ko Hinerakei te maunga
Ko Ohaki te marae
Ko Te Urunga Mou tonu rāua ko Maru O Te Huia ngā Whare Hui
Ko Te Puna O Te Ora te Whare Kai
Ko Te Uri o Tai te Hapu
Ko Ngapuhi, Ko Te Rarawa,
Ko Te Aupōuri ngā iwi
You can read the full Envirosouth magazine as a PDF online here.
