CoAct Database

Declaration of Takahiwai

From February 4th – 5 th, 2019 we gathered for the Pacific Food Sovereignty and Traditional Knowledge Conference hosted by Takahiwai Marae. We express our heartfelt appreciation to our hosts for their warm and wonderful hospitality. We also thank Te Rau Matatini, Te Kopu and the International Indian Treaty Council for bringing us together for vital discussions and knowledgesharing about Food Sovereignty, Traditional Knowledge and Climate Change. We were reminded at this gathering by our elders that the treasures that the gods gave us to sustain our lives, the gifts of the Sky Father and Earth Mother like the tuna (eel), plants and fish, fauna and forests still belong to us, as Te Tiriti o Waitangi also affirms. We, as Indigenous Peoples of Aotearoa, the Americas and the world have been given the responsibility to take care of these sacred treasures, to protect and care for them, to learn from themand use them in a way that ensures their health and survival so that our future generations will also be strong and healthy. We were also reminded by our youth about the fears they have for their futures as a result of the changes they are seeing in our natural environment.