D1: Whakaora Taonga: Mātauranga approaches to Māori heritage conservation in emergencies
Tracks
1
| Monday, November 30, 2026 |
| 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM |
| RHLT1 |
Overview
Stream: Māori heritage
Details
Lead: Dennis Ngāwhare, Acting Director, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (HNZPT)
Speakers:
* Dean Whiting, CE, HNZPT
* Ellen Anderson, Acting Kaihautū Maori (DCE), HNZPT
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga's Tapuwae framework places Māori values and kaitiakitanga at the centre of heritage conservation and emergency response in Aotearoa New Zealand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, HNZPT delivered the Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kōtuku programme, supporting whānau, hapū, iwi, and communities to preserve and sustain mātauranga Māori during that period of disruption. In 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events damaged marae, wāhi tapu, archaeological sites, and other places of cultural significance the country. HNZPT responded with recovery initiatives grounded in Māori principles of conservation, collective engagement, and guardianship. This panel discussion explores these case studies and demonstrates how indigenous approaches can strengthen disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and partnerships with Māori communities.
Paper / Session Submitter
Dr Dennis Ngāwhare
Manager Of Māori Heritage Recognition
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga
Whakaora Taonga: Mātauranga approaches to Māori heritage conservation in emergencies
Summary Abstract
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga's Tapuwae framework places Māori values and kaitiakitanga at the centre of heritage conservation and emergency response in Aotearoa New Zealand. During the COVID-19 pandemic, HNZPT delivered the Mātauranga Māori Te Awe Kōtuku programme, supporting whānau, hapū, iwi, and communities to preserve and sustain mātauranga Māori during that period of disruption. In 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events damaged marae, wāhi tapu, archaeological sites, and other places of cultural significance the country. HNZPT responded with recovery initiatives grounded in Māori principles of conservation, collective engagement, and guardianship. This panel discussion explores these case studies and demonstrates how indigenous approaches can strengthen disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and partnerships with Māori communities.
Biographies
Dean Whiting (MNZM) is the Chief Executive of Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. He completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in the Conservation of Cultural Materials (Canberra, AUS) in the late 1980s. He was part of a cohort of Māori students who continue to be regarded as New Zealand’s leading experts in the conservation of traditional Māori arts. He has worked for more than 35 years as both an independent conservator, as Project Conservator at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga on the conservation of Māori tangible cultural heritage. Dean also served on the Board of Creative New Zealand between 2017 and 2022.
Ellen Andersen is currently the Acting Deputy Chief Executive - Kaihautū Māori for Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. She has a background in architectural conservation with degrees in Classics and Architectural Studies, and a Master’s in International Studies in Vernacular Architecture (Oxford Brookes, UK). Ellen has worked in the field of Māori Architectural conservation for twenty years, and led the international-award winning conservation of Matangireia – the former Māori Affairs Committee Room at Parliament, a project that was recognised for its innovative approach to conservation that centred the role of indigenous communities.
Dennis Ngāwhare is the Acting Director for the Tautiaki Taonga me Kaupapa Māori directorate of HNZPT. During his PhD study at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, he explored how myth and history intertwine in the travelling mountain narrative of Taranaki. Amongst his varied duties, Dennis oversees the addition of wāhi tapu (sacred places) and wāhi tūpuna (ancestral spaces) on the New Zealand Heritage List Rārangi Kōrero. Dennis is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at Te Herenga Waka.
