Te Au O Tu Motu in foreground, Manuae Motu in background (photo by Nick Henry)
History & Vision:
Manuae is an uninhabited atoll 100km south-east of Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. It has 500ha (1,200 acres) of vegetated land, and a large 1,500ha pristine lagoon. This makes Manuae the second largest atoll (by land area) in the Cook Islands.
Manuae was originally occupied by Polynesians, many of whose descendants still live on neighbouring islands such as Aitutaki, Atiu and Rarotonga.
The Proprietors of Manuae Incorporated (PMI) was established by court order in 1983 to represent the descendants of the original population. The PMI committee members are elected on a regular basis by these landowning descendants.
In October 2022 the PMI established the not-for-profit Manuae Enua Conservation Trust (MECT) to represent the landowners’ interests in managing Manuae for conservation and sustainable development.
Only landowners and their descendants can be trustees.
Ko tā mātou ōroma:
Ko mātou, ko te Kōpapa Tāporoporo ō Manuae, te anoano pakari nei mātou i te pāruru i te tai roto, te enua, te au mea nātura pouroa, ē te au ‘akapapa’anga autara ō tēia enua ko Manuae; nā roto i te au tū’anga tāporoporo, āpi’i, e te au ‘akateretere’anga tau.
Te umuumu nei mātou i te ‘akamata mai i tētai au aranui ngātākore no te au ravenga ‘akapu’a’pinga’anga, tei ‘akataka’ia ē, “ko te au kaveinga tē kā ‘akapararauare i te au mea tau te kā anoano’ia nō tēia tuātau, matekore ē ‘akaīti mai ‘anga i te pu’a’pinga nō te au mea te kā anoano’ia ē te uki ā muri mai”
Beach on Manuae Motu (photo by Nick Henry)
The PMI’s vision for Manuae is for the protection of the environment, plus the cultural, social, and gender responsive empowerment of people, including economic self-sufficiency through:
- active biodiversity conservation.
- support for environmental education.
- protecting sites of cultural and historical significance.
- revival of our indigenous customs and knowledge systems.
- best practice sustainable management of our land and marine resources.
- making our island more accessible to our families, scientific researchers, students, ecotourists etc.
Tidal flats on Te Au O Tu Motu (photo by Nick Henry)
