Manaaki Whenua: the meaning and ethos
Māori are the indigenous people of Aoteoroa (New Zealand), and the Māori name for Landcare Research is Manaaki Whenua. Manaaki means to cherish, conserve, and sustain. Whenua encompasses the soil, rocks, plants, animals and the people inhabiting the land - the tangata whenua. People are linked physically and spiritually to the land - it is the earth through which we are connected to our ancestors and all the generations that will come after us. Whenua is the place where we stand.
We need to respect the land and all that is important to its well-being. We need to cherish the natural diversity of species, but we need the land to produce food. We need to use land to meet all our everyday needs but we need to dispose of our waste carefully. We must think of the consequences of our activities on the environment.
Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research is seeking to understand the land, how to use it and how it keep it in good health. With better care of our resources, the land will prosper and benefit all who stand on it. We must ensure the land is worth leaving to our children.
Manaaki Whenua - Manaaki Tangata
care for the land - care for the people
Our Name
Through clarifying our purpose and vision for New Zealand it became clear there was an opportunity for us to more fully embrace our Māori name, Manaaki Whenua.
These two words hold deep meaning for us as an organisation, describing the role and responsibility we have been given by New Zealanders to care for our land, Aotearoa. ‘Manaaki’ means to cherish, conserve and sustain; ‘Whenua’ encompasses the soil, rocks, plants, animals and the people inhabiting the land – the tangata whenua.
This name also challenges us to weave a Māori world-view into our science and research in order to develop deeper insights and realise solutions for all New Zealanders. Manaaki Whenua is also part of our heritage. It is the name we were founded under in 1992.
As we look ahead to our role in New Zealand's future we will identify ourselves as ‘Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research’ or more simply as ‘Manaaki Whenua’.
The meaning of the Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research logo
Our new mark is an evolution of our previous logo. The two koru, representing strength and growth, curve together to form two halves of a kinetic circle – a form that expresses the constant balance and inter-connectivity of people, place and environment.
The simplicity of the infinite circle has long been associated with cycles of life, learning, and nature. For us as New Zealanders, it expresses the inter-generational science that will ensure we will live in harmony with our land now, and in the future.
