Ngāi Tahu attend The United Nations Water Conference 2023

Apr 17, 2023

Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Kaiwhakahaere and Te Kura Taka Pini Co-Chair Lisa Tumahai has recently returned to the Ngāi Tahu takiwā after attending The United Nations Water Conference 2023 in New York.

The occasion marked the first time in forty-six years that global leaders have come together to address worldwide water and sanitation issues.

Lisa Tumahai says Ngāi Tahu villages and others around the world are facing significant and compounding challenges to their water and sanitation. For Ngāi Tahu, the life of the waterway must be placed first.

“Ngāi Tahu has embarked on decades of research and development to find new ways to solve legacy issues in water management and regulation. The conference provided a platform for us to contribute our knowledge and learnings around improved ways to manage wai māori based on te ao Māori values.”

As well as sharing the mahi Ngāi Tahu is doing to improve freshwater, this opportunity also allowed Lisa to support the New Zealand United Nations in their commitment to progressing sustainable development goals on water and sanitation.

For more information on the United Nations action agenda on water, visit –  UN 2023 Water Conference | Department of Economic and Social Affairs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This photo was taken from the United Nations Head Quarters, which is located on the bank of the East River, New York.
From left to right, Justin Fepuleai (Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN in New York), Caralyn Schwalger (NZ Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the UN in New York), Lisa Tumahai (Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Kaiwhakahaere and Te Kura Taka Pini Co-Chair), Lianne Dalziel (Former Christchurch Mayor), Bayden Barber (Ngāti Kahungunu Chair)