Western science isn't keeping you safe from the poo in Porirua

Wednesday, 28 July 2021

OPINION: A group of scholars at the University of Auckland think mātauranga Māori isn’t “real science”, but I’d like to point them to the poo in Porirua.

They claim “disturbing misunderstandings of science” are emerging across education, as their colleagues pay more attention to indigenous research. To me, it’s clear these scholars hold the most disturbing misunderstandings in this debate.

To explain myself, we should look no further than the stinky water in Porirua harbour.

Porirua is the rohe of Ngāti Toa. You don’t want to mess with Ngāti Toa, they whakapapa to the feared rangatira Te Rauparaha.

The sewage treatment plant near Porirua.

* 'Ngāti Toa will take its land back and bring its people home', iwi leader says

* Māori and English road signs to be rolled out through Porirua

This week, Ngāti Toa declared a rāhui for Te Awarua o Porirua and the stretch of sea along the coast near Porirua.

Basically, a rāhui is a prohibition or restriction.

Those definitions don’t quite communicate the full extent of rāhui, a word which feels sort of spooky. It has a vibe of sacredness, because it involves tapu – a pivotal concept in te ao Māori which encapsulates anything under the protection of the gods.

So, when a rāhui is declared and something is moved into this sacred sphere of tapu, we shouldn’t take that lightly.

Glenn McConnell is a columnist and reporter for Stuff.

That’s the atua-level foundation of rāhui and tapu.

Now, let’s look at the nitty gritty of this Ngāti Toa decision. It prohibits all everyday actions (as the moana is in a state of tapu), so no swimming, boating, or fishing.

There’s only one reason why this rāhui was put in place: Sewage.

Sewage ain’t sacred, it’s just gross.

It’s poo, it’s wee, leaking into the taonga that is Te Awarua o Porirua and the greater sea. These leaks put at risk the environment of Tangaroa, the atua of the sea who all fish and shellfish whakapapa to.

So, what do Tangaroa, the sewage of Porirua and the concept of tapu have to do with seven confused professors at the University of Auckland?

Those professors wrote a letter to The Listener last week, sharing their concerns and confusions about mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge and research).

They’re worried about amendments to the secondary schools’ curriculum, which will see indigenous sciences and perspectives taught in science classes. They say that’s bad, because “it is not science”.

They also claim, “Science is universal, not especially Western European. It has origins in Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Ancient Greece and later India.”

I include this second quote, because it undoes their own argument.

University of Auckland vice-chancellor Dawn Freshwater sent an email to all staff saying the university’s official position was that mātauranga Māori made an important contribution to science.

Indigenous people have lived in India for an incredibly long time – way longer than places such as the UK.

India is now the world’s largest democracy, home to 1.38 billion people – this didn’t eventuate because science arrived “later”. Research was under way long before Western science arrived.

In Porirua, we can see an everyday collision between Western science and mātauranga Māori.

For whatever reason, our laws – which tend to follow Western frameworks – don’t see any issue with boating and sailing in sewage spills.

Te ao Māori tells us that’s a terrible idea, because our science – known as mātauranga – knows that it’s gross. But also, it knows that the moana needs time to heal.

This is environmental science. It’s something Māori have understood for many generations, and came to scientific conclusions through perspectives and frameworks unique to this environment.

Western science has struggled to grapple with the relationship between people and planet.

Ocean Mercier is the head of Te Kawa a Māui, she trained in physics.

I agree there is a “universal science” – but it is not what those academics call “science”. They approach research with a lack of understanding, and have discounted indigenous knowledge, which many of their colleagues have devoted their careers to.

Most scientists agree mātauranga Māori, and other approaches to science, are important to the advancement of our shared knowledge.

After the University of Auckland dean of science, Douglas Eliffe, and his six co-signatories penned their confusions, dozens of other researchers put their name to a letter which sought to defend the status of mātauranga Māori.

“While the professors describe science as ‘universal’, they fail to acknowledge that science has long excluded indigenous peoples from participation, preferring them as subjects for study and exploitation,” they wrote.

“Diminishing the role of indigenous knowledge systems is simply another tool for exclusion and exploitation.”

They’re right. While those who feared indigenous sciences claimed “science itself does not colonise”, they failed to note that their perceived “universal science” has a history of being very flawed. Its supposed objectivity has dabbled in eugenics, racism, and environmental exploitation.

Science is a constant debate, and to discount indigenous knowledge as not worthy of that debate is a disgrace to the subject.

Ocean Mercier, a physicist and the head of Te Kawa a Māui (Victoria University’s school of Māori Studies), explains the different approaches to science as a puzzle; those who only accept Western science will only build half the picture.

People like her are studying the eradication of pests, groundwater flows, the effects of climate change and how to control pandemics.

I’d like to see the full picture on the issues affecting our lives now, and generations to come.

Glenn McConnell is a journalist, student of Māori Studies and fortnightly columnist for Stuff.