Justin Parkin-Rae takes a break from pulling chunks of weeds from around one of the many rivers that snake through Kaikōura, a quaint fishing town on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, named Te Waipounamu in his native Māori language.
His jade necklace and red hair glisten in the warm February sun as he bends down to pick a juicy blackberry. Behind him, Tamati Wikiriwhi and Nikora Wati are chest deep in the water, laughing as they lift a massive tree branch over their heads.
“This water right here is actually what gives life to everything, including us,” Wikiriwhi shouts from the river to Alaa Elassar of CNN.
The three friends are clearing out the river, which has become stagnant and full of toxic algae blooms due to invasive weeds and broken branches. It’s important work, says Parkin-Rae, because clean waterways allow native plants and wildlife to flourish.
They are among a growing community of Māori who are working to counter the catastrophic effects of climate change, which is eroding the country’s shores, destroying its biodiversity, fueling extreme weather and threatening to displace entire communities.
It’s an existential threat felt across the world, but it’s more pronounced on island nations like Aotearoa, the indigenous word for New Zealand, and among native people like Māori, whose culture and livelihood are rooted in the environment.
