Summarised by Centrist
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union has exposed a $4 million taxpayer-funded project to play whale songs mixed with forest sounds to kauri trees, claiming it could improve their health based on mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge).
The funds were channelled to Te Tira Whakamātaki, a private organisation co-founded by Melanie Mark-Shadbolt.
Mark-Shadbolt also co-directs the government-funded BioHeritage Science Challenge that oversaw the project—raising serious conflict-of-interest concerns.
The project, part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s National Science Challenges, aimed to combine mātauranga Māori with traditional science.
Based on Māori lore that sperm whales and kauri trees are “brothers,” it tested whether whale sounds could boost trees’ resilience against diseases like kauri dieback and myrtle rust.
Critics have slammed the initiative for lacking scientific rigour, with project leaders acknowledging it focused on “restoring mauri (life force)” rather than achieving measurable results.
Jordan Williams of the Taxpayers’ Union condemned the spending as “a shocking misuse of public funds,” adding that public money was essentially burned on “mysticism.”
Investigations into Te Tira Whakamātaki revealed its spending was almost entirely salaries, further stoking anger over the lack of accountability.
“When the organisation benefiting from the funding is run by the same person overseeing the project, how can taxpayers trust the process?” Williams questioned.
Read more over at The Taxpayers’ Union
Image: Melanie Mark-Shadbolt
