Centring Localised Indigenous Concepts of Wellbeing in Urban Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation: Case-Studies from Aotearoa New Zealand and the Cook Islands

Mihaere, ShannonHolman-Wharehoka, Māia-te-ohoMataroa, JovaanKiddle, Gabriel LukePedersen Zari, MaibrittBlaschke, PaulBloomfield, Sibyl2024-02-112024-02-112024-02-02Frontiers in Environmental Science, ISSN: 2296-665X (Print); 2296-665X (Online), Frontiers Media SA, 12, 1278235-. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2024.12782352296-665X2296-665Xhttp://hdl.handle.net/10292/17215Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer significant potential for climate change adaptation and resilience. NbS strengthen biodiversity and ecosystems, and premise approaches that centre human wellbeing. But understandings and models of wellbeing differ and continue to evolve. This paper reviews wellbeing models and thinking from Aotearoa New Zealand, with focus on Te Ao Māori (the Māori world and worldview) as well as other Indigenous models of wellbeing from wider Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa Oceania. We highlight how holistic understandings of human-ecology-climate connections are fundamental for the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa Oceania and that they should underpin NbS approaches in the region. We profile case study experience from Aotearoa New Zealand and the Cook Islands emerging out of the Nature-based Urban design for Wellbeing and Adaptation in Oceania (NUWAO) research project, that aims to develop nature-based urban design solutions, rooted in Indigenous knowledges that support climate change adaptation and wellbeing. We show that there is great potential for nature-based urban adaptation agendas to be more effective if linked closely to Indigenous ecological knowledge and understandings of wellbeing.© 2024 Mihaere, Holman-Wharehoka, Mataroa, Kiddle, Pedersen Zari, Blaschke and Bloomfield. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/4101 Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation41 Environmental Sciences13 Climate Action0502 Environmental Science and Management4104 Environmental management4105 Pollution and contaminationCentring Localised Indigenous Concepts of Wellbeing in Urban Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation: Case-Studies from Aotearoa New Zealand and the Cook IslandsJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.3389/fenvs.2024.1278235