Coastal Communities, Leisure and Wellbeing: Advancing a Trans-Disciplinary Agenda for Understanding Ocean-Human Relationships in Aotearoa New Zealand

Belinda Wheaton, Jordan Te Aramoana Waiti, Rebecca Olive and Robin Kearns
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Belinda Wheaton: Te Huataki Waiora School of Health, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato University of Waikato, Hamilton 3216, New Zealand
Jordan Te Aramoana Waiti: Te Huataki Waiora School of Health, Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato University of Waikato, Hamilton 3216, New Zealand
Rebecca Olive: School of Human Movement & Nutrition Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia
Robin Kearns: School of Environment, Ko te Whare Pūtaiao Faculty of Science, Te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-20

Abstract: Commentators are advocating for research to better understand relationships between healthy coastal ecosystems and human wellbeing. Doing so requires inter- and transdisciplinary approaches across humanities, arts, social sciences, and science and technology disciplines. These approaches include culturally diverse knowledge systems, such as indigenous ones, that locate sustainable use of and relationships to marine ecosystems. This paper contributes to this agenda through a case-study of relationships between coastal ecosystems and human wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand. This article highlights interconnected cultural and wellbeing benefits of, and socio-ecological relationships between, these coastal ecosystems drawing on a case study of one ocean-based, ‘immersive’ leisure activity, surfing. Further, it examines how these relationships impact human physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing, and the wellbeing of communities and ecosystems. The research illustrates that surfing creates strong bonds between practitioners and coastal places, linking the health of marine environments and people. We demonstrate the value of a transdisciplinary place-based approach that integrates research across the humanities and social sciences and engages with Indigenous knowledge (M?tauranga M?ori). This argument for multicultural co-learning shows the value of Western and M?ori vantage points for how we understand coastal blue spaces. Indigenous perspectives, we conclude, deepen appreciation, as well as equity considerations, of how we understand place, wellbeing, and long-term sustainable relationships with marine ecosystems.

Keywords: coastal ecosystems; wellbeing; blue space; surfing; ocean and human health; M?tauranga Maori; Aotearoa New Zealand; transdisciplinary research; coastal recreation; Indigenous knowledges; oceans; local (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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