Moana Pasifika Voyage welcome ceremony marks the beginning of the IUCN Congress

To mark the start of the ceremony a youth wa’a (traditional canoe) sailed in to Kahanamoku Beach with Hikianalia (the sister wa’a of the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s, Hōkūleʻa) sailing on the fringes of the lagoon. The wa’a symbolised unity amongst our island nations and emphasised one of the key messages of the IUCN Congress – “we are all in this canoe together”, sailing for the health of our Island Earth.  Once the wa’a berthed on the beach, Pacific Island leaders presented a Pohaku (stone), which was received by the traditional landowners, the Kahanamoku and Paoa families.

The Pohaku gifted to the traditional landowners by the Pacific leaders were from their individual island nations and carry the mana and spirit of their people. The placing of their Pohaku onto the sacred land of Hawai`i was a sign of respect for the people of the land and an act that symbolises connecting their islands through the Pohaku to the land of Hawai`i.

Following the traditional welcome, inspirational speeches were given by Master Navigator, Nainoa Thompson; Governor of Hawai`i, David Ige; President of Micronesia H.E. Peter Christen; President of the Republic of Palau H.E. Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr.; and IUCN Director General, Inger Andersen.

President of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and Master Navigator, Nainoa Thompson, spoke on the significance of the gathering of Pacific people. “What you are seeing here in the sands of Hawai`i is the change in conversation. No longer can the power of conservation just talk to itself, it has to marry with indigenous knowledge, with indigenous people. So the reason why it’s so important that the Pacific leaders are here, is because if you want to protect the earth, if you want to protect biodiversity, if you want to protect wildlife, if you want to kind of have some way to adapt to climate change, you got to protect the ocean, it’s prerequisite to all of those things. You can’t do it without protecting the oceans, who better to do that than Pacific Islanders because they know their ancestry, they know their genealogy, they know their history and tenure and they see change, they know something is terribly wrong and they have such an enormous set of responsibilities of protecting the earth by protecting the oceans around them.”

Governor of Hawai`i, David Ige announced new state-wide initiatives to increase renewable energy use and the protection of oceans while respecting indigenous rights. "We are a microcosm of our planet Earth. Like the Hawaiian voyaging canoe, we are one canoe, one island, one land. We cannot afford to mess this up." The Governor also outlined plans to "effectively manage 30 percent of Hawaii's nearshore waters by 2030".

President of Micronesia H.E. Peter Christen spoke of the need to “take action” on the health of our oceans. "To speak or not to speak –  we're here not to talk about it but to agree on how to handle it."

To emphasise the urgency for a unified approach for action on oceans, President of the Republic of Palau H.E. Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr. stated, "The Ocean doesn't divide us, it connects us, and today those words have a meaning."

The ceremony concluded with closing remarks from IUCN Director General, Inger Andersen, who stated, “In a few hours we shall open the IUCN World Conservation Congress and that Congress will bring the voice of Hawai`i, the voice of the Pacific Islands and the voice of every child and every adult on this good Earth to say we know the planet is at the Crossroads and we know we need to take action now.”

The Moana Pasifika ceremony set the tone for the IUCN Congress, highlighting the importance of seeking a sustainable future for our ocean, for our people, for our cultures, for our planet.

For more information please visit: http://www.hokulea.com/voices-of-the-pacific/

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

Would like to acknowledge our partners and the key people that have helped shape the Moana Pasifika movement including  our Navigators Tua Pittman, Billy Richards, Nainoa Thompson, Jacko Thatcher, the Ohana Wa’a , Cecile Marten and the Pacific Voyaging Societies, Bob Hampton and the team at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort,  Chipper Wichman and the team at National Tropical Botanical Garden  for their dedicated support, Dr Kamanao’pono Crabbe and the team at OHA, The IUCN Congress Host Committee, William Aila, Senator Kalani English and the State of Hawai`i, John De Fries, the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner,  SPREP, DLNR, the Office of the Maui Mayor, and the teams at GLISPA, Kua and Kupu.

Thank you to our sponsors for their generous contributions including Jaune Evans and the Tamalpais Trust, the Christensen Fund, Mrs Susan O’Connor and the Pacific Writers Connection, IUCN CEESP, IUCN CEC and the Energy, Ecosystems, and Sustainable Livelihoods Initiative.

Lastly, a very special thank you to June Matsumoto, for her commitment and her dedicated support and to the team at the Pacific Islands Institute.