Tangaroa Ararau was a visionary research project that explored the fundamental question: What could an ocean-centric governance model look like if it were led by tikanga Māori, unconstrained by existing systems, and aligned with the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi?

In Aotearoa, our whakapapa as navigators, voyagers, explorers and mariners stretches back over a thousand years, to the times of Kupe, Kuramarotini, Huiterangiora, and the Great Captains of the migration waka. Over generations, Māori developed complex systems of ocean governance based on reciprocal relationships with Tangaroa and the wider marine ecosystems. This body of knowledge gave rise to keystone concepts and traditional practices that placed Tangaroa—the embodiment of the ocean’s health and vitality—at the centre of decision-making.

Tangaroa Ararau investigated these enduring relationships, seeking to reimagine a governance system grounded in tikanga Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It proposed a model that is not only aspirational and systemic, but also deeply rooted in the context of Aotearoa—designed to reflect the interconnectedness of all communities and uphold the mauri of our moana for generations to come.

The name Tangaroa Ararau—Tangaroa of the many paths—acknowledges the diverse, interwoven perspectives, values, and experiences that inform this work. In turn, Uhi Tai, meaning the ascending tides of Tangaroa, symbolises the rising tide of new perspectives: a kaupapa that challenges the entrenched systems of marine governance and advocates for a future shaped by whakapapa, wānanga, and kaupapa Māori thinking.

Uhi Tai began as a toi Māori expression of the Tangaroa Ararau research project—an immersive exhibition that reimagined a marine governance regime with the ocean at the heart of decision-making.

Held as part of the project’s public dissemination, the exhibition drew on traditional Māori methods of knowledge sharing and storytelling. It featured a powerful blend of media—including video, audio, painting, sculpture, waiata, weaving, carving, taonga pūoro, tā moko, and print—bringing the research findings to life through artistic expression.

While this exhibition marked the public debut of Uhi Tai, the kaupapa has since evolved into a broader, ongoing commitment to research, training, and advocacy in the marine space. The works presented here remain as a visual legacy of Tangaroa Ararau and a creative call to action—inviting reflection on what a tikanga-led marine governance system, grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, could look like for Aotearoa.