🌊 Week 6: Waikato River Case Study - Climate Change & Kai

Unit 10: Kai, Culture and Climate — Surviving Scarcity
Investigate how flooding and drought in the Waikato River affect local food (kai) production and availability.

🌿 Kaitiakitanga Connection: The Waikato River (Te Awa o Waikato) is a taonga (treasure) for Waikato-Tainui. Climate change impacts on the river affect not just food, but the health of the whole ecosystem and the people connected to it.

📚 Background: The Waikato River

Key Facts:

  • The Waikato River is New Zealand's longest river (425 km)
  • It flows through the Waikato region, including Hamilton
  • The river and its surrounding land are important for:
    • Farming (dairy, crops, vegetables)
    • Māori food gathering (kaimoana, watercress, eels)
    • Water supply for communities
    • Ecosystem health

🌧️ Scenario 1: Flooding

What happens when the Waikato River floods?




Impact on Food Production:

  • Farmland is flooded → crops destroyed
  • Dairy farms can't access fields → milk production stops
  • Vegetable gardens washed away
  • Roads closed → food can't be transported
  • Water contamination → unsafe to drink or use for irrigation

Impact on Māori Food Gathering:



☀️ Scenario 2: Drought

What happens when there's a drought in the Waikato?




Impact on Food Production:

  • River levels drop → less water for irrigation
  • Crops fail without water → food scarcity
  • Dairy farms struggle → less milk production
  • Water restrictions → can't water gardens
  • Higher food prices → scarcity affects everyone

Impact on Māori Food Gathering:



🤔 Analysis Questions

  1. Scarcity Connection: How do floods and droughts create food scarcity in the Waikato?


  2. Trade-offs: What trade-offs do farmers and communities make when facing floods or droughts?


  3. Adaptation: How can communities adapt to these climate challenges? (Think about kaitiakitanga)


  4. Future: How might climate change make these problems worse in the future?


🌿 Kaitiakitanga Solutions

Kaitiakitanga (guardianship) means protecting and caring for the environment for future generations.

How can kaitiakitanga help address climate change impacts on food?

  • Protecting river health
  • Sustainable farming practices
  • Community food gardens
  • Traditional knowledge about weather patterns
  • Working together (whānau, hapū, iwi)

Your ideas for kaitiakitanga solutions:



💡 Extension: Research actual flooding or drought events in the Waikato region. What happened? How did communities respond? What can we learn?