Tere Tohorā, Karanga Tāngata: Weaving Māori Knowledge With Conventional Science to Characterise a Biodiversity Hotspot for Marine Megafauna in an Area Facing Multiple Anthropogenic Impacts

Marine megafauna are important components of marine ecosystems and are of major significance to Indigenous communities, including Māori. Despite being recognised as a biodiversity hotspot for megafauna, most locations in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) do not have adequate information for the management of anthropogenic impacts on these taxa. Due to long-standing relationships with Māori, there is a wealth of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) on megafauna that may help fill key gaps. This study, Tere Tohorā Karanga Tāngata, aims to address information gaps on marine megafauna within Te Ākau/Bream Bay, on the north-east of NZ's North Island. We utilise a wānanga (shared learning) approach alongside conventional visual and acoustic surveys to synthesise an accurate baseline of species occurrence, distribution, habitat use and site fidelity. Māori knowledge in a variety of forms was gathered and simultaneously integrated into the survey design across seven vessel-based field surveys. We calculate seasonal sighting rates and use species distribution models (SDM) to determine the distribution of commonly occurring species and use photo-identification to investigate site fidelity of marine mammals. Both knowledge systems confirmed the importance of Te Ākau/Bream Bay for marine megafauna, reporting high diversity and abundance of marine mammal (8 species) and seabird species (24 species) and high sighting rates of threatened taxa. While most species were encountered year-round, sighting rates and predictions from SDMs highlight seasonal variability in the occurrence and distribution of most species. Māori knowledge aligned closely with results from conventional scientific approaches in confirming the most common species (common dolphin, Bryde's whale), seasonal habitat preferences, and, importantly, provided historical information on species that have been extirpated from the study area. Combined, the two knowledge systems have generated a robust baseline on marine megafauna that can be used to guide the management of these important species and showcase the advantages of utilising dual-knowledge systems for characterising marine biodiversity.