AOTEAROA – Te Tira Whakamātaki has launched its "Pelts with Purpose" campaign aimed at transforming pest control into cultural healing while supporting Treaty for Victoria momentum.

The campaign addresses both the wairua impacts on Māori kaitiaki who constantly hunt to protect forests, and the cultural needs of Aboriginal communities who cannot legally hunt possums on their own Country.

Healing Through Cultural Purpose

"This is about Indigenous peoples helping each other revitalise cultural practices that colonial systems tried to destroy," said Tame Malcolm, Te Tira Tuwatawata: the Māori Biosecurity Network lead. "When our hunters give their conservation work deeper cultural purpose, and Aboriginal communities receive materials for drums, cloaks, canvases, and ceremony, we're all healing together."

In 1837, possums were forcibly removed from Aboriginal Country for New Zealand's fur trade. Today, over 30 million possums devastate New Zealand forests while Aboriginal peoples cannot legally hunt them for traditional cultural practices.

Immediate Goals

The campaign seeks specific outcomes by December 2025:

• Treaty Solidarity: 500+ pelts directly supporting Aboriginal communities in Victoria involved in Treaty for Victoria initiatives.
• Youth Exchange Fund: $180,000 fund to establish and run youth-to-youth (rangatahi-to-boori) exchanges, bringing 40+ Aboriginal youth, and Aboriginal knowledge holders and practitioners, to Aotearoa to hunt with Māori rangatahi and knowledge holders.
• Cloak in Every Home: 20+ cloaks (~35+ pelts per cloak) towards the ‘cloak in every home’ dream of Aboriginal cloak-makers from southeastern Australia.
• Cultural Healing: connecting Māori hunters with Aboriginal communities, giving their conservation work deeper purpose, transforming killing into cultural solidarity.

Solidarity in Action

The wider ‘(Re)storying the possum’ initiative transforms colonial harm into Indigenous solidarity, giving spiritual purpose to Māori conservation work while strengthening Aboriginal cultural authority, particularly during crucial Treaty recognition efforts.

“Gifting pelts is a way that we can show our support for Treaty and solidarity to our whanaunga in Te Whenua Moemoeā” says Te Taiawatea Moko-Painting, Policy Manager for Te Tira Whakamātaki. “These pelts become tangible expressions of Indigenous peoples supporting each other, recognising that we are sovereign and self-determining peoples.”

In addition, the campaign aims to share knowledge and stories across nations, about possums, their impact and importance. "Aboriginal knowledge holders and rangatahi will be able to come here to share traditional stories and practices, and hunt their own skins,” said Rawiri Walsh, Kaimahi Taiao of Te Tira Whakamātaki. “Māori will be able to learn from, and share knowledge with Aboriginal practitioners.”

Launch Information
Campaign launches: Monday 29th September at www.ttw.nz
Target: $300,000, over 1,200 pelts, support for multiple Aboriginal communities and Māori kaitiaki
How to contribute: Cash donations, direct pelt contributions, youth programme participation

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