Speakers:
Marc Tadaki
Senior Lecturer, Department of Environmental Management, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Jane Kitson,
Ecologist and environmental scientist with ancestral connection to Murihiku/Southland, New Zealand
Talk title:
Environmental Justice and the Indigenous Governance of Introduced Species
A typical wild goldfish found in Lake Rotoehu, 2016. Photo: Ian Kusabs
Talk Abstract: Intensifying global trade, recreational travel, and ecological degradation are all providing pathways and reasons for species to travel beyond their historical ranges, bringing people into contact with ‘new neighbours’. What to do with these new neighbours is a matter of politics and struggle, with possible approaches ranging from technocratic elimination to laissez faire accommodation. Environmental justice advocates have argued that undoing the harms of settler-colonialism requires removing introduced species as they represent ongoing disenfranchisement of Indigenous peoples from their lands and waters.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, the story of introduced species is both unique and complicated. On the one hand, due to New Zealand’s unique biogeography, there is widespread understanding and concern about introduced species and the harms that these species have caused ecosystems and people. This has led to popular support and significant state investment in ‘Predator Free 2050’ and other programmes and policies aimed at removing introduced species. The conditions for removing introduced species are ripe.
On the other hand, while most introduced species were introduced through settler-colonial processes, some species have been adopted and valued by Indigenous communities. This raises prospects that removing introduced species without Indigenous consent will further disenfranchise Indigenous communities and disconnect them from governance of their land and waters.
In this colloquium we consider how two introduced species in Aotearoa New Zealand – wild goldfish (Carassius auratus) and Pacific rat (Rattus exulans) – are challenging us to rethink how we conceptualise and manage introduced species. Both species are introduced, both have meaningful positive associations for some Māori communities – yet that does not mean that these communities wish to simply have them unregulated. By looking at what Indigenous governance of introduced species looks like, and by considering how that differs from bureaucratic science-driven decision making, we can draw insights to support adaptive, effective, and legitimate conservation decision making for a world that is constantly changing.
After the talk, please join Marc, Jane, and others with the Fish Futures Collaborative for an informal discussion about Indigenous environmental governance issues and practices, from 2 – 4 PM, in room 215D.
Please RSVP if you are planning to attend this discussion. We will be serving pizza and cookies, and it helps us determine how much to order!
Speaker Bios:
Dr Marc Tadaki (Pākehā) is an academic geographer at Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University with interests in freshwater governance, environmental policy, and critical physical geography. An alumni of UBC Geography (PhD 2019), Marc spent six years in New Zealand’s applied research sector researching freshwater policy, catchment groups, and environmental values, before moving back into a university environment in 2025. Marc co-leads Fish Futures with Jane Kitson, Robin Holmes, and Joanne Clapcott.
Dr Jane Kitson (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe, Waitaha) is an ecologist and environmental scientist with ancestral connection to Murihiku/Southland, New Zealand. Jane’s work is grounded in the principles of kaupapa Māori, which guide her approach to research spanning freshwater, estuaries, customary harvest, and cultural monitoring, and contributing to national, regional, and tribal policy development. Jane co-leads Fish Futures (2021-26), a transdisciplinary research programme focused on understanding and strengthening people’s connections with freshwater fish.
This is hybrid event hosted in Geog 229 and on zoom.
