We are the Watchful Ones.
Protecting what matters most.
Te Tira Whakamātaki is a Māori environmental not-for-profit working at the intersection of science, stories, and sovereignty. We exist to protect what matters most, our whenua (land), wai (waters), taonga species (prized species), seeds, stories, and people.
Rooted in mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and strengthened by community, we are a movement of kaitiaki, (guardians and protectors), researchers, educators, responders, storytellers, strategists, aunties and mokopuna (grandchildren). We are united in our purpose to (re)story systems, (re)indigenise humanity, and restore balance to te taiao (the environment).
Our Purpose | What We Do
Our vision and mission are ambitious, and they are made real through the work we do every day with whānau (individual Māori families), hapū (sub-tribes), iwi (tribes) and our partners.
We turn our vision into action through four interconnected pou (pillars/themes), delivering Indigenous environmental solutions that protect taonga, restore balance and reconnect people with the natural world.
Our 10-Year Mission | Whāinga
To (re)indigenise humanity, (re)story systems, and lead Indigenous solutions that restore balance between people, place and planet.
Our 100-Year Vision | Moemoeā
A world restored through Indigenous leadership, where humanity remembers it place in the natural world, lives in a right relationship with it, and ensures future generations thrive.
Our Strategic Pillars
What We Deliver
Each pou is focused on a unique point in time, from (re)storing what we’ve inherited, to acting now to protect, and investing in what lies ahead. Together they form a continuum of care, revitalising the relationships between people, place, and planet.
Te Mana Koiora Biosecurity & Biodiversity
Protecting what we’ve inherited
Strengthening Māori leadership in biosecurity and biodiversity, not as participants in a system but as designers of it.
Kia Manawaroa Resilience & Emergencies
Defending what is most vulnerable now
Building the readiness and resilience of whānau, hapū, and iwi to face climate disruption, disasters, and other emergencies
Te Oranga ō Hinemoana Oceans & Climate
Preparing for what is coming
Amplifying Māori-led marine protection and climate adaptation, restoring te reo, tikanga, and relationships with the moana.
Whakamana Ira Taiao Seed & Biobanking
Upholding the genetic whakapapa of life
Protecting ira taiao, the ancestral blueprint of life, by collecting, preserving, and revitalising seeds, lichens, ferns, animal DNA, embryos, and other taonga species.
Ngā Kōrero | Stories
Read stories and think-pieces from kaitiaki, tohunga, and rangatira from across TTW’s networks.
Te Whakapapa o Seed Banking
By: Marcus-Rongowhitiao Shadbolt
Why We Write Submissions
By: Te Taiawatea Moko-Painting
Ngā Tangata o te Marama – Simon Lambert
By: Chloe Southgate
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