We pay our deepest respect to the Elders, past and present, and to emerging leaders who continue to uphold the sacred responsibilities of caring for Country. Our Dreaming is our landscapes, which are living entities that hold memory, spirit, wisdom, and the well-being of all people.

We honour our forests, waterways and ecosystems, within which we co-exist, through Indigenous lore, language and story. We commit to walking respectfully alongside First Nations communities to protect, restore, reawaken and regenerate Country through Indigenous-led ways of working on and in Country, using sustainable forestry practices, and sharing intergenerational knowledge exchange.

Aotearoa

Koahau te tai ao, ko te tai ao ko ahua. All aspects of the environment are with us, before, now and in the future. All engagements with people are in that context. When the spiritual, cultural health and wellbeing of our environment are not well, our whole world, our life will be to restore it. Negative impacts on any aspect of the environment detrimentally affect us and must be restored.

Life force that began with creation.

Respective – A philosophic and practical recognition of the traditional and cultural heritage of Indigenous people and communities, including their connection and access to and use of resources. When the environment is respected, our life and well-being are affected, and we can thrive.