Integrating Mātauranga Māori with Emergency Management

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For Latasha, mātauranga Māori isn’t just a cultural add-on, it’s a critical tool in the emergency management kete (basket).

 

Indigenous knowledge has long shaped where and how Māori have lived in these disaster-prone lands - influencing settlement patterns and community practices. These insights, handed down over generations, can teach us not just how to survive disasters, but coupled with modern emergency management strategies they can teach us how to thrive through them.

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Latasha believes strongly that Māori communities must be at the forefront of planning, not brought in as an afterthought.

 

“Preparedness isn’t a choice anymore, it’s a necessity. And Māori don’t need saving. We need resourcing, trusting, and space to lead.”

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Championing Indigenous Leadership in a Changing System

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Latasha has seen firsthand how Māori-led responses during Cyclone Gabrielle were among the quickest and most coordinated. Whānau, hapū and iwi moved faster than government agencies, activating marae, distributing kai, and checking on neighbours with the kind of efficiency that only comes from lived experience and deep community ties.

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But challenges remain. Agencies often overlook the interconnections between health disparities, infrastructure vulnerabilities and community resilience, focusing on individuals and individual events, and pigeonholing Māori into welfare roles instead of recognising their leadership. Indigenous ways of responding are collective, they are community-based and social. 

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That’s why Latasha advocates for systems change. For shared leadership. For emergency messaging that resonates. And for rangatahi who are ready to take up this mahi and shape the future.

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Her Message to the Next Generation & Agencies

 

Latasha has a clear message for rangatahi:

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“This mahi is about people. It’s about whānau. It’s about protecting our future. Emergency management needs you, your energy, your innovation, your heart.”

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And if you ask her what drives her?

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She’ll tell you it’s the same reason she started, her community, her culture, and her absolute belief that Māori have the strength, the knowledge, the experience and the right to lead. Agencies just need to give us some power, some resources and then get out of the way!

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“Let them lead the way. Knowledge is built over generations, and our social systems are a thriving ecosystem. When a part of this is damaged, we do not need the world to tell us how to heal – we will do it ourselves. Trust that we can do the mahi.”

"Preparedness is not a choice; it is a necessity. Because the question is not if a disaster will occur, but when. And then the question is - who will respond?"

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Tash Wanoa