Rising seas threaten to swallow one of NZ’s oldest settlement sites

According to new research, one of the oldest New Zealand Aotearoa settlement sites is in danger by the rise of the seas.

Te Pokohiwi o Kupe (Wairau bar) near Blenheim is a significant archaeological site on a national scale. It dates back to the first arrival of people and holds the remains of first generation Polynesian settlers as well as many cultural artefacts.

The site is significant for the local IWI, Rangitāne o Wairau, because of its history of colonial exploitation and the possible repatriation of Koiwi Tangata (ancestral remains) in 2009, which marks an important moment in modern history of Rangitāne.

Coastal floods are already a danger in Te Pokohiwi O Kupe, but this increases considerably as sea level increases. The study, led by Te Rūnanga A Rangitāne O Wairau in partnership with researchers from Earth Sciences NZ, shows that around 20% of the site could be flooded during a 100 -year storm event at the current sea level.

But with 50 centimeters of climate sea level elevation, which could occur in the 2050s in high scenarios, more than half of the site could flood in the same event. If the sea level reaches one meter, which could be reached in the early 2100s, three -quarters of the site will be flooded and subject to significant erosion.

Grave thieves to employees

During the first part of the 20th century, the site was attacked by fossickers looking for curiosities. In 1939, they discovered a Urupa (cemetery) and disinterested the remains of one of the first ancestors, as well as the dental collar and the Moa egg of their sperm.

Other “discoveries” attracted Roger Duff, then ethnologist at the Canterbury museum, on the site in 1942. He led several excavations until the summer of 1963-64.

The Rangitāne community protested against excavations. The eldest tribal Hohua Peter Macdonald was particularly vocal, but the tribe could not prevent excavations and the elimination of ancestors and their burial goods.

In 2003, Rangitāne presented her Waitangi complaint treaty before the Waitangi court. The court agreed that the crown had violated the treaty in its relations with the tribe and the subsequent negotiations saw land in Te Pokohiwi returned to Rangitāne. These terrestrial plots were close to where the ancestors were taken and the remains were finally returned in 2009.

Before repatriation, the University of Otago, the Canterbury and Rangitāne museum agreed that research, including the genetic sequencing of Koiwi Tangata and an archaeological survey on the site, would take place before re -eminence. Due to their past experiences, Rangitāne had little confidence in the school community. But in a first of its kind, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the parties.

Maintain connections

Our study used a large -resolution analysis at the local level of the elevation of sea level and coastal change to assess the risk of archaeological taonga (treasures) and Wāhi Tapu (sacred sites) in Te Pokohiwi o Kupe.

By combining the knowledge of Rangitāne Hapū (subtrubal groups) on the limits of the site and the locations of the ancestral or archaeological taonga with topographic data derived from the Lidar, the research team has mapped its exhibition to current and future coastal floods from spring tides and storm wave events.

Sea scenarios complied with the latest projections of the intergovernmental panel on climate change and national directives to estimate the probable calendar of future flood.

The results suggest that the climate -based coastline changes and the permanent flood will increasingly threaten this culturally and archaeologically significant site.

Although this research has focused on the risks of relative and extreme flooding at sea level, previous paleo-tsunami studies show that the area is also known to be exposed to the risks of tsunami.

In progress research supported by a subsidy from the Natural Risks Commission seeks to develop our results by integrating several types of flood with IWI impacts and mitigation. The objective is to develop new inclusive approaches to quantify the effects of the composition of flood risks.

The integrated approach based on the place underlying this research supports dialogue on adaptation and rescue options to protect the sacred sites threatened by climate change thanks to a combination of LED interventions locally and supported nationally.

For Rangitāne, Te Pokohiwi O Kupe is a place where relations are maintained, the responsibilities have confirmed and the identity reaffirmed. Although its archaeological value is widely recognized, its deeper meaning lies in the lasting connection that the Rangitāne maintains with the Whelua (earth) and with the stories, knowledge and obligations it carries.

Over time, the nature of this relationship has evolved. What was once marked by protest and exclusion moved to an active and leadership place, partly supported by the return of the field within the framework of the IWI Treaty Regulations.

Now, with growing threats posed by elevation of sea level and coastal erosion, this connection is faced with another type of challenge. The concern is not only for what can be lost physically, but for what it could mean losing the ability to stand in this place, to bring together and support the relationship that has founded generations of Personitāne in Wairau.

The emphasis is not only put on the preservation of what remains, but on the continuation of the connection with Te Pokohiwi, even if the landscape changes. More than protecting a site, it is a question of protecting the rowitāne capacity to stay in a significant relationship with Te Pokohiwi o Kupe, its stories and its meaning.

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