Māori Relationships with Nature in Aotearoa | Matiu Workman

Lecture by Matiu Workman (University of Otago, Neuseeland)

On July 9, Matiu Workman from the University of Otago in New Zealand will give a lecture on the topic “Māori Relationships with Nature in Aotearoa.”

Anyone interested is cordially invited

Thursday, July 9, 2026 | 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Übungsraum Geologie (01.124) – GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Schlossgarten 5, Erlangen

Abstract:

This session explores the Māori relationship with nature in Aotearoa, where rivers, mountains, and forests are not resources to be managed but ancestors to be in relationship with. The session also examines what happens when that worldview meets the demands of resource extraction, freshwater governance, and conservation policy. Through first-hand perspective and concrete case examples including the Whanganui River’s legal personhood and the ongoing freshwater conflicts, students will encounter a genuinely different framework for thinking about the human relationship with the natural world.