The mountains (Maunga) and waters (wai) together with our ancestral canoe help define our place in the environment. The mountains help generate air (flow) and cleanse us with fresh air. The lakes purify the waters that flow into our rivers. Local Māori beliefs and myths reflect both the unstable nature of the local landscape and their underlying respect for nature, with mountains and rivers still considered sacred today. For instance, Aoraki / Mt Cook National Park, situated in the Southern Alps, is named after the country’s highest peak, Aoraki. Aoraki is the son of Ranginui, the sky father. In te ao Māori, a Māori world view, the mountains were once gods and warriors of great strength. Freshwater comes from the parting of Ranginui (sky father) and Papatūānuku (earth mother). These gods share a whakapapa (genealogy) with Māori people, and this underpins the connected relationship that Māori have with the natural environment – mountains, forests, and waters.
