How geothermal use has changed was the focus of a report. Photo / File
Hundreds of Māori families are struggling to heat their homes, have lost intergenerational knowledge and have seen long-lasting impacts on social, cultural and physical wellbeing as the use of geothermal assets decreases.
Now some locals are asking for restored access to geothermal resources for domestic purposes and a new report has recommended tangata whenua get first priority for use and the ability to restore and maintain access, manage and protect the resources.
The findings and recommendations come in a report commissioned by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and compiled by Te Ahi Kaa Roa Roopu, a mana whenua working group.
The report, Ngā wai ariki o Rotorua: He Kohikohinga – Hau kāinga perspectives on the health and wellbeing of geothermal taonga within Rotorua, aimed to determine how healthy geothermal taonga were, how their use had changed and why.
It found bore closures in the area in the 1980s caused hau kāinga [a marae's home people] to lose access to geothermal taonga for heating, bathing and cooking.
They couldn't afford the $18,000-plus to reopen bores and the loss of geothermal assets had "significant negative and long-lasting implications on the health, social and cultural wellbeing of whānau".
"Many whānau who have now lost their access to thermal heating [in Ōhinemutu] have been left struggling to keep their homes warm using cheap forms of heating such as gas heaters," the report said.
In 1985 there were more than 376 geothermal wells in Rotorua but drawing geothermal assets led to a decline in geothermal health.
The Government intervened and from 1986 to 1988, 235 wells were closed. Of those, 112 were domestic wells supplying about 1110 users and 123 were commercial wells supplying 187 users.
People were able to apply to reopen bores but at a cost of at least $18,000 per year for licensing, constructing a reinjection bore and paying a royalty fee.
Many domestic users could not afford this.
The health and wellbeing of hau kāinga are directly linked to the health of geothermal taonga which includes not just physical health but the wellbeing of interconnected ecosystems including people, the report said.
It put the spotlight on four areas - Whakarewarewa, Ōhinemutu, Tārewa Pounamu and Ngāpuna - all of which saw a loss of use of geothermal features in traditional ways such as bathing, cooking, cleaning and heating.
In the 1980s Whakarewarewa Village wharekai lost its bore and was forced to use gas and electricity to cook and heat water due to the financial cost of meeting new legislative requirements.
"There is still significant resentment for the loss of access to the geothermal resource for the wharekai, whānau, and manuhiri," the report said.
At Ōhinemutu the cost of maintaining a bore meant the majority of whānau also lost access.
In Ngāpuna, east of the CBD, steam box cooking had been limited to special occasions resulting in the loss of intergenerational knowledge and practices.
In Tārewa Pounamu, which included Tārewa Rd and Kuirau Park, few houses have geothermal access since the bore closures.
"These actions have had detrimental and long-lasting impacts on the wellbeing of hau kāinga," the report said.
"Today the people of Tārewa would like restored access to geothermal resources for domestic purposes."
The report makes four recommendations.
The first was to protect the rights of hau kāinga to restore and maintain access to geothermal resources, the second was to protect rights to manage and protect the resources including using mātauranga Māori (knowledge) alongside western science in any system management plan.
The third was to prioritise geothermal allocations for tangata whenua first, ratepayers second, community facilities third and industrial and commercial last.
The final recommendation was to recognise legal requirements ensuring hau kāinga were actively involved in planning, decision-making and monitoring.
It said geothermal planning and decision making should be intergenerational, reflect that people were part of the taiao [Earth] and geothermal taonga were a living entity.
Te Ahi Kaa Roa representative Lani Kereopa (Ngāti Whakaue ki Ōhinemutu) said the report provided a snapshot of some of the intergenerational knowledge and observations of whānau who had lived among ngāwhā for hundreds of years.
She said mātauranga Māori offered took a holistic view.
"Unfortunately, our connection, relationships, science and understandings have obviously been impacted by the systems and processes imposed by councils from the time they assumed the authority to manage the use of our taonga."
Kereopa said she had personally seen and experienced the loss of connection and mātauranga among whānau and hapū due to the breakdown of geothermal bathing, cooking and heating infrastructure.
"Enforced bore closures in the 80s that benefited business over communities, and the prohibitive costs of maintaining bores and hot water piping, has seen geothermal become a rich man's resource and mana whenua [people of the land] living on top of heat, energy and healing waters that they can no longer access."
She said it was imperative local and central government committed to co-development, co-governance and co-management of geothermal resources in partnership with tangata whenua, especially in a time of climate change.
"Our indigenous worldview supports the prioritised use of all natural resources to support community over individual and/or commercial benefit, and this must be empowered within all natural resource management plans including the Rotorua Geothermal Regional Plan."
Speaking generally, without having seen the report, Ngāti Whakaue leader Monty Morrison said he had seen the consequences of the bore closures and had family members who had had to pour concrete down their bore.
Morrison said at the time of the closures a group in Ōhinemutu wanted to provide a collective voice and work with authorities.
"We've got the opportunity now for Te Arawa to be involved early in any discussions around land, water or geothermal issues so we're in partnership.
"It's important to have mātauranga Māori to work alongside traditional science. The closure of geothermal assets heightened that awareness."
The report will be presented at a Bay of Plenty Regional Council kōmiti Māori meeting today.
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