He Mahere Pahekoheko Mo Kaipara Moana-Integrated Ecosystem-Based Management for Kaipara Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand

Indigenous peoples must be able to practice their ways of caring for their particular environment within their own belief systems, while also needing to understand western logic and systems, in order to work together efficiently. Navigating the divide between ontological and epistemological differences is challenging, and what this means in practice is unclear. This paper describes a framework of comanagement called He mahere pahekoheko mo Kaipara moana - Integrated Kaipara harbour management - a model with the intent to connect and utilize indigenous Maori values and knowledge alongside principles of ecosystem-based management. He Mahere recognizes and accepts the validity of each philosophy of management on its own and does not co-opt Maori ideology. This framework successfully strengthens the position of Maori as partners in the management of the Kaipara Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand and can inform ecosystem restoration concepts from grassroots society to the text of regional planning documents.