Lay summary
A kaupapa Māori project is proposed that will inform and contribute to identifying and describing the relationships between health and land for Māori, actioning recommendations of the IUCN Healthy Parks Healthy People guidelines in Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu* (New Zealand, NZ). Hauora Māori me kā papa tākaro ki Ōtepōti/Māori health & parks: a Dunedin study will focus on the parks and reserves of the Dunedin City Council, firstly understanding the health context of parks and reserves for mana whenua and takata (tangata) whenua, though Thought Space Wānanga and pūrākau, then how they can be integrated with parks and reserve management. The defined area of this City Council provides a deliverable project with opportunity for investigation of these innovative approaches, mindful of the disparate historical narratives between the existing presentation of many manicured and managed parks with their specimen trees and other plantings.