Our Wai Māori Scholarship is open for applications, so we thought we’d share a bit about some of our past recipients and their awesome mahi.

First up meet Lucy Coulston. Lucy undertook research at the University of Canterbury, exploring tino rangatiratanga in highly modified systems through a comparative case study of Waituna and Waitarakao lagoons.

We’ll let Lucy further introduce herself and her mahi.

_______________________________________________________________________

Kia ora, my name is Lucy Coulston.

I whakapapa to Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Tamatea and Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, and I was born and raised in Gisborne/Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa. My upbringing instilled in me a deep connection to place, and an understanding that our awa, roto, and moana are not just resources but living taonga. They sustain identity, culture, and wellbeing. This connection inspired my passion for exploring how Indigenous leadership and tino rangatiratanga can guide the restoration of ecosystems that have been degraded by colonisation and land-use change.

My Master’s research at the University of Canterbury focuses on two coastal lagoons in Aotearoa: Waitarakao (South Canterbury) and Waituna (Southland). These systems have been heavily modified through drainage, farming, and development, yet remain deeply significant to mana whenua as mahinga kai and sites of whakapapa. Despite ecological decline, both lagoons continue to be places of cultural identity and guardianship.

Through interviews with mana whenua and comparative case study analysis, I explored how tino rangatiratanga is expressed in the governance of these lagoons. Rather than viewing them only as degraded landscapes, this research reframes them as active sites of Indigenous leadership, care, and restoration.

Key learnings include:

  • The purchase of Te Waiparera (Waituna) represents a powerful reassertion of intergenerational guardianship and Indigenous-led restoration.
  • In Waitarakao, while there has been disconnection, aspirations for renewed protection and stewardship remain strong.
  • Current governance frameworks often privilege short-term economic outcomes, limiting the ability of mana whenua to exercise meaningful authority and uphold whakapapa-based responsibilities.
  • Even in highly modified systems, tino rangatiratanga continues to endure, offering pathways for both ecological recovery and cultural justice.

This mahi highlights that recognising and resourcing mana whenua leadership is essential not only for environmental restoration but also for the restoration of justice, cultural continuity, and intergenerational wellbeing. It has been a privilege to learn alongside mana whenua leaders, whose resilience and vision demonstrate that tino rangatiratanga remains a living, powerful force in shaping the future of Aotearoa’s most vulnerable ecosystems.