Dr Jane Kitson
Tohu Environmental
Jane Kitson is an ecologist and environmental scientist with whakapapa to Murihiku/Southland. Her work is grounded in the principles of kaupapa Māori, which guide her approach to research and restoration. As director of Tohu Environmental (Formerly Kitson Consulting Ltd), Jane supports mana whenua in achieving their environmental aspirations by weaving mātauranga Māori with ecological science.
Her research spans freshwater, estuaries, mahinga kai, and cultural monitoring, contributing to national, regional, and iwi policy development, water reform, and customary fisheries management. Jane began her research career with the Kia Mau te Tītī Mo Ake Tōnu Atu programme, a research collaboration with Rakiura Māori focused on the important mahika kai and taonga species, Titi/Sooty Shearwaters.
She has co-led major national science programmes including Fish Futures, the Biological Heritage National Science Challenge’s SO2: Kaitiakitanga and Stewardship, and Freshwater for Our Taonga, Nga Kete o te Wananga.
Jane is a member of the Southland Conservation Board, EPA HSNO committee, Te Waiau Mahika Kai Trust, Oraka- Aparima Executive and chair of the Rakiura Tītī Islands Administering Body.
Jane’s keynote will explore how whakapapa, whanaungatanga, and wānanga shape collaborative research and restoration, offering insights into collaborative approaches that honour both scientific and cultural knowledge systems.
Whakapapa, Whanaungatanga and Wānanga in Research and Restoration
Freshwater systems and research landscapes in Aotearoa New Zealand are in flux, demanding approaches that endure beyond shifting policies and funding cycles. This keynote explores how three foundational concepts of te ao Māori — whakapapa, whanaungatanga, and wānanga — provide both cultural anchors and practical methodologies for research and restoration. Whakapapa is the way te ao Māori understands the connections between species, people, and place — an enduring framework that remains constant even as science systems change. Researchers working in Aotearoa must respect the authority of whakapapa as the guiding logic for collaborative research, recognising that it shapes obligations, priorities, and intergenerational outcomes. Through the lens of the Fish Futures research programme (fishfutures.co.nz), I illustrate how these principles enable mana whenua to lead research processes, protect mātauranga and taonga species, and set priorities that reflect cultural and ecological wellbeing. He manawa kanakana — move like lamprey, together, with strength and persistence — through methods grounded in wānanga, hīkoi, and co-production.