The International Network of Indigenous Health, Knowledge and Development (INIHKD) hosted the Reclaiming Indigenous Ecologies of Love Conference (RIEL) from 28 April to 2 May 2025, at the Tamaya Resort on Santa Ana Pueblo near Albuquerque, New Mexico. This location offered stunning views of the Sandia Mountains, which turn a beautiful watermelon colour at sunset, with the Rio Grande River just a short walk away. The Rapua Te Ara Rangatira project team was represented by Luke Enoka (Research Assistant), Utiku Potaka (Research Lead) and Amohia Boulton (Principal Investigator).
Before the main conference, Luke attended the Student Pre-Conference hosted by Dr Evans-Campbell (Snohomish) and Dr Johnson-Jennings (Choctaw Nation). During the day, participants were encouraged to explore the conference theme: “Reclaiming Indigenous Ecologies of Love”. Distinguished Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith (Ngāti Awa and Ngāti Porou) shared insights into Indigenous perspectives of love, after which students broke into small groups to discuss what love means through the lens of different Indigenous communities and to share their aspirations. A highlight of the pre-conference was the symbolic sharing of waters, and Luke particularly valued the opportunity to connect with other Indigenous students from across the oceans.
On day two of RIEL, Luke presented “Te Remu Huia: Reclaiming Knowledge of the Huia Bird for Tribal Governance” on behalf of the project team. His presentation outlined the project's background and timeline, including the data collection phase, the manu huia's significance to Ngāti Hauiti, and the collaborative co-design process developed alongside the Rūnanga. This process involved reclaiming kōrero tuku iho regarding the manu huia and other Ngāti Hauiti tikanga. Luke shared key experiences, challenges, and learnings from the co-design process that took place from February 2024 to March 2025. He focused on four critical areas: research and trust, navigating mātauranga Māori (and ā-Hauiti) as kaupapa Māori researchers, non-Indigenous influences, and the realities of voluntary governance.
Throughout his presentation, Luke emphasised the multi-layered aspects of positionality in the Rapua research project, including the relationships between Whakauae, the project team, and the Rūnanga. He noted that positionality is a critical component of Kaupapa Māori methodology, which forms the foundation of the research project and has significantly influenced its development.
Utiku Potaka and Amohia Boulton supported Luke's presentation and were on hand to answer questions about the Rūnanga's involvement with succession pathways. Utiku explained how the Rūnanga approaches succession planning through programmes like He Whetū Arataki, which aims to nurture Ngāti Hauiti rangatahi into confident leaders. He spoke about the current Aotearoa context and the emergence of the kōhanga generation — young people who are confident in their Māori identity and language. Utiku stressed the importance of preparing this generation for governance roles to ensure the Rūnanga and Ngāti Hauiti are well-positioned to face future challenges.
RIEL provided a space for the Rapua Te Ara Rangatira team to disseminate our work on mātauranga ā-Hauiti reclamation and leadership development with an international audience. Through these exchanges and the sharing of waters, the team returns home to Aotearoa with renewed inspiration for reclaiming Indigenous governance and progressing the next stages of the research project.
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