Dr Daniel (Dan) Hikuroa appears regularly in the media, commenting on how a blend of science and mātauranga Māori can help New Zealand overcome the most important ecological challenges.
It’s therefore no surprise that Hikuroa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Tainui, Te Arawa) who won a Blake award for leadership on Thursday night has become known for the way he has integrated Earth system science with mātauranga Māori – Māori knowledge, culture, values and worldview – to help realise the dreams of the communities he works with.
Hikuroa’s unique approach was born after he led an Antarctic geology mapping expedition for his PhD, and went on to investigate how the world’s oceans, plants and animals responded to climate change in the distant past.
As his knowledge and understanding grew, he increasingly found himself drawn to his Māori roots and to exploring the interface between mātauranga and science.
He was especially drawn to Earth system science, a discipline which considers the world’s land, rocks, water, ice, plants and animals to be interconnected. In a practical sense, it blends several fields of study to address big challenges such as sea level rise, climate change and sustainable sources of energy.
“I discovered that Earth system science was consistent with a Māori worldview,” Hikoroa says.
“It was just a natural progression of trying to understand the world as a system as opposed to being discrete, disparate parts.”