The Ngāi Tūhoe people of the Te Urewera region in New Zealand have maintained a staunch independence. Tūhoe have never lost their connection to their language and cultural identity, and in a groundbreaking 2014 agreement, the New Zealand government opened the way to Tūhoe managing their ancestral lands according to their cultural values.
Recent changes by New Zealand’s right-wing government are seen as reversals of such hard-fought progressive policies regarding indigenous peoples. Yet the Tataiwhetu Trust farm in Te Urewera offers a revitalizing model for a younger generation.
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2025 Photo Contest - Asia-Pacific and Oceania - Long-Term Projects
Te Urewera – The Living Ancestor of Tūhoe People
Photographer
Tatsiana Chypsanava
Pulitzer Center, New Zealand Geographic
Shutter Speed
1/400
ISO
125
Camera
Nikon D850
Jury comment
The jury felt this project stood out as a powerful, detailed look at the Ngāi Tūhoe people's fight for the return of their ancestral lands and indigenous rights. It captures the ongoing governance struggles between Te Urewera's ways of being and Western knowledge, along with tensions from far-right political movements. Through a variety of thoughtful frames, the work provides a compelling visual dialogue about relationships to land and cultural preservation, shedding light on an often underrepresented community.