Towards a more-than-human political ecology of coastal protection: Coast Care practices in Aotearoa New Zealand

2019 ◽  
pp. 251484861986075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friederike Gesing

Coastal protection measures are intended to stabilize the boundaries of land and sea—and of private property. But structural engineering solutions, such as seawalls, have negative side-effects in terms of environmental and climate justice: they cause erosion of adjacent areas, they limit public access, and they can lead to the loss of sandy beaches. So-called “soft” coastal protection approaches promise more sustainable and just alternatives. The article explores the role of the more-than-human in such practices. Arguing that the popular framing of coastal protection as “working with nature” is a strategic naturalization, the paper aims to develop a more-than-human take on the political ecology of coastal protection. The empirical basis is built from ethnographic material on volunteer dune restoration by Coast Care groups in Aotearoa New Zealand. The analysis shows that the “multispecies agencies” ( Locke, 2013 ) at work in various practices associated with Coast Care include communities of plants and animals, human care work and artefacts, as well as abiotic elements such as sand, wind, water and concrete. The article argues that to foster political and practical engagements for more sustainable coastal naturecultures, these entanglements should be made explicit and accountable. A more-than-human political ecology approach to understand the promises of soft coastal protection therefore combines three analytic sensibilities. Firstly, it looks at the ontological politics and categorization practices that define and enact specific versions of coastal nature. Secondly, it focuses on the politics of care in multispecies worlds, including the abiotic. And thirdly, it takes into account the “ordinary politics” of contested coastal space, decision-making and planning.

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Salmond ◽  
Gary Brierley ◽  
Dan Hikuroa

This article explores deep underlying assumptions about relationships between people and the planet, and how these translate into very different ways of relating to waterways in Aotearoa New Zealand. In te ao Mäori – ancestral Mäori ways of living – rivers and lakes are the tears of Ranginui, the sky father, mourning his separation from Papatüänuku, the earth mother, and people are their descendants, joined in complex whakapapa that link all forms of life together. In modern ways of thinking, on the other hand, ideas such as private property, resource management and ecosystem services can be traced back to the Genesis story of God’s gift of ‘dominion’ to Adam and Eve over fish, birds, plants and the earth itself, including waterways, in which all other life forms are created for human purposes. In successive Waitangi Tribunal claims, iwi have disputed these assumptions in relation to fisheries, tribal lands and rivers, and, in worldleading legislation, the Whanganui River has been declared a legal person with its own rights. In this article, the authors discuss different ways in which the rights of rivers as rivers might be understood in scientific terms, investigating the ‘geomorphic rights’ of the Whanganui River, for instance, and how rivers as living communities of land, water, plants, animals and people might be understood through ‘river ethnography’, an approach that aligns a wide range of natural and social sciences with mätauranga taiao – ancestral knowledge of other living systems. They also consider how current policy discussions might be informed by such framings, so that river communities across Aotearoa New Zealand may be restored to a state of ora – life, health, abundance and prosperity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 413
Author(s):  
Suzanne Robertson

Book review of Elisabeth McDonald, Rhonda Powell, Māmari Stephens and Rosemary Hunter (eds) Feminist Judgments of Aotearoa New Zealand – Te Rino: A Two-Stranded Rope (Hart Publishing, Portland, 2017).


Shore & Beach ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 53-64
Author(s):  
Edward Atkin ◽  
Dan Reineman ◽  
Jesse Reiblich ◽  
David Revell

Surf breaks are finite, valuable, and vulnerable natural resources, that not only influence community and cultural identities, but are a source of revenue and provide a range of health benefits. Despite these values, surf breaks largely lack recognition as coastal resources and therefore the associated management measures required to maintain them. Some countries, especially those endowed with high-quality surf breaks and where the sport of surfing is accepted as mainstream, have recognized the value of surfing resources and have specific policies for their conservation. In Aotearoa New Zealand surf breaks are included within national environmental policy. Aotearoa New Zealand has recently produced Management Guidelines for Surfing Resources (MGSR), which were developed in conjunction with universities, regional authorities, not-for-profit entities, and government agencies. The MGSR provide recommendations for both consenting authorities and those wishing to undertake activities in the coastal marine area, as well as tools and techniques to aid in the management of surfing resources. While the MGSR are firmly aligned with Aotearoa New Zealand’s cultural and legal frameworks, much of their content is applicable to surf breaks worldwide. In the United States, there are several national-level and state-level statutes that are generally relevant to various aspects of surfing resources, but there is no law or policy that directly addresses them. This paper describes the MGSR, considers California’s existing governance frameworks, and examines the potential benefits of adapting and expanding the MGSR in this state.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 61-72
Author(s):  
Melinda McGinty ◽  
◽  
Betty Poot ◽  
Jane Clarke ◽  
◽  
...  

The expansion of prescribing rights in Aotearoa New Zealand has enabled registered nurse prescribers (RN prescribers) working in primary care and specialty teams, to enhance nursing care, by prescribing medicines to their patient population. This widening of prescribing rights was to improve the population’s access to medicines and health care; however, little is known about the medications prescribed by RN prescribers. This paper reports on a descriptive survey of self-reported RN prescribers prescribing in a single district health board. The survey tool used was a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to record nurse’s area of practice, patient demographic details, health conditions seen, and medicines prescribed and deprescribed. Simple data descriptions and tabulations were used to report the data. Eleven RN prescribers consented to take part in the survey and these nurses worked in speciality areas of cardiology, respiratory, diabetes, and primary care. Findings from the survey demonstrated that RN prescribers prescribe medicines within their area of practice and within the limits of the list of medicines for RN prescribers. Those working in primary care saw a wider range of health conditions and therefore prescribed a broader range of medications. This survey revealed that the list of medications available for RN prescribers needs to be updated regularly to align with the release of evidence-based medications on the New Zealand Pharmaceutical Schedule. It is also a useful record for both educational and clinical settings of the types of medications prescribed by RN prescribers.


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