WHO WE ARE

With Chile and New Zealand sharing myriad similarities in their landscapes due to a similar longitude, they are increasingly exposed to similar adverse effects of climate change. The agriculture and horticulture industries are particularly at risk with their direct dependence on a stable and resilient ecological system and weather patterns.

 

There are 10 different Indigenous groups in Chile, the largest are the Mapuche followed by the Aymara, the Diaguita, the Lickanantay, and the Quechua peoples. Māori are the tangata whenua (indigenous people) of Aotearoa, comprised of over 100 iwi (tribes). Moriori are the indigenous peoples of Rēkohu (Chatham Island) and Rangihaute (Pitt Island) –, about 700 kilometres south-east of Wellington.

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While the Indigenous groups throughout Chile and New Zealand each have their own diverse history, cultures, and values, a key theme in common is the relationship with Papatūānuku (Te Reo Māori) / ñukemapu (Mapuche), Mother Earth. With agriculture dependent on a healthy Earth and at risk in the context on climate change attributed to colonial expansion and over-production, guiding Indigenous values provide an opportunity for alternative agri-business models that perpetuate guardianship for the environment and the people relying on the land and its produce.