Kia ora MARMAM whānau,

On behalf of our hononga (partnership) I am very pleased to announce a new publication that weaves Māori Indigenous knowledge (mātauranga Māori) and conventional systematic surveys to develop a baseline on marine megafauna in Te Akau, New Zealand.

Our article is published in Ecology and Evolution’s special Issue – Indigenous Science and Practice, and we hope will be of interest to those interested in working across dual knowledge systems in marine mammal research.

The open access article and pdf can be found at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.72558. Please reach out if you have any questions around the article. Full citation and abstract for the article is provided below.

Meri Kirihimete,

Tom Brough

Brough, T., Kereopa, H., Shirkey, T., Zaeschmar, J., Leunissen, E., Milner, D., & Chetham, J. (2025). Tere Tohorā, karanga tāngata: Weaving Māori knowledge with conventional science to characterise a biodiversity hotspot for marine megafauna in an area facing multiple anthropogenic impacts. Ecology and Evolution, 15, e72558. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.72558

ABSTRACT

Marine megafauna are important components of marine ecosystems and are of major significance to Indigenous communities,

including Maori. Despite being recognised as a biodiversity hotspot for megafauna, most locations in Aotearoa New Zealand

(NZ) do not have adequate information for the management of anthropogenic impacts on these taxa. Due to long-standing

Relationships with Maori, there is a wealth of matauranga Maori (Maori knowledge) on megafauna that may help fill key gaps. This

study, Tere Tohora Karanga Tangata, aims to address information gaps on marine megafauna within Te Akau/Bream Bay, on

the north-east of NZ's North Island. We utilise a wananga (shared learning) approach alongside conventional visual and acoustic

surveys to synthesise an accurate baseline of species occurrence, distribution, habitat use and site fidelity. Maori knowledge in a

variety of forms was gathered and simultaneously integrated into the survey design across seven vessel-based

field surveys. We calculate seasonal sighting rates and use species distribution models (SDM) to determine the distribution of commonly

occurring species and use photo-identification to investigate site fidelity of marine mammals. Both knowledge systems confirmed the importance

of Te Akau/Bream Bay for marine megafauna, reporting high diversity and abundance of marine mammal (8 species)

and seabird species (24 species) and high sighting rates of threatened taxa. While most species were encountered year-round,

sighting rates and predictions from SDMs highlight seasonal variability in the occurrence and distribution of most species.

Maori knowledge aligned closely with results from conventional scientific approaches in confirming the most common species

(common dolphin, Bryde's whale), seasonal habitat preferences, and, importantly, provided historical information on species that

have been extirpated from the study area. Combined, the two knowledge systems have generated a robust baseline on marine

megafauna that can be used to guide the management of these important species and showcase the advantages of utilising dual-knowledge

systems for characterising marine biodiversity.