knows that much of the land now consists of paddocks. Most of this was cleared in the mid- to late-19th and 20th centuries – desecration which left Aotearoa bereft of its native forests, as well as birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians. Historically, it is mainly sheep which have been farmed here; but over the last 30 years or so, dairy farming has intensified, and so has its degradation of the environment.
Of course, some Māori communities have also chosen to engage in dairying – but the reasons for this are complex. Economic marginalisation, resulting from dispossession, land confiscation and racism, has left us with fewer choices than we once had. And the desire to stay connected to our whenua has sometimes made dairying seem more viable.
But the notion that dairy can somehow be made sufficiently “sustainable” is a myth – and it is one that focuses only on the environmental impacts of the industry, ignoring its health impacts for consumers and workers, and the lives and wellbeing of the animals it exploits.As Māori, we understand ourselves as kaitiaki – carers for te taiao .
Another value, whanaungatanga, recognises that we are related, through ancestry, not only to each other, but to the wider natural world as well. Consequently, we have responsibilities to treat it respectfully. But far from treating the more-than-human world with respect, the dairy industry is extractive, engaging in a one-sided transaction: as ecofeminists have argued, it exploits female bodies, by forcefully impregnating cows, stealing their milk and separating mothers from calves.