Lived Experiences at the Intersection of Sediment(ation) Pollution, Gender, Ethnicity and Ecosystem Restoration from the Kaipara Moana, Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

In settler-colonial nations such as Aotearoa, New Zealand, ecosystem degradation and restoration of coastal estuaries and their catchments are typically framed through a scientific lens and often privilege patriarchal beliefs and epistemologies. A consequence of colonization in Aotearoa is that sediment(ation) pollution is deemed undesirable, and science is needed to control and solve such ecosystem challenges. However, there remains a tendency to prioritize science over other ways of knowing. Therefore, ecosystem management strategies and restoration practices fail to attend to the dynamics of social differentiation within Indigenous groups concerning settler-colonial power. Indigenous peoples bring nuanced ways of knowing and being whereby relational ontologies and ethics are imperative starting points. Relational ontologies reshape knowledge production to ensure more ethical and just relationships with nature. We use an intersectional lens to highlight the gendered, ethnic, and natured dimensions of sediment(ation) pollution. We show how pollution manifests differently across intimate scales (body, local), demonstrating the far-reaching effects of settler-colonialism violence. This article presents Indigenist geo-creative narratives from four Māori women regarding their lived experiences and realities of sediment(ation) pollution. Using practices familiar to and chosen by them, narratives are richly nuanced, political and recalled in relational and affective terms. We intend to disrupt and bring forth a relational vision of sediment(ation) pollution as a socially just and equitable way of managing and restoring ecosystems.