Future Whenua Summit 2026
Tairāwhiti
A Living Patchwork
March 13th - 15th
FWS2026
March 13 -15
Haere Mai, to the 5th edition of the Future Whenua Summit!
In 2026, this much-loved regenerative gathering lands in the first region to see the sun - Te Tairāwhiti. Over three days, we will explore biodiversity and mosaic land use in farming and forestry systems, balancing economic, ecological and social benefits.
Themes include:
Mosaic Land Use: how to manage diverse land practices that reduce risk, build resilience, support infrastructure and create ecological corridors.
Biodiversity as Infrastructure: not as a “nice-to-have,” but as the living foundation of productive landscapes.
Māori Land Stewardship: exploring models of kaitiakitanga, collective governance, and intergenerational responsibility that challenge Western ownership paradigms.
Forestry Futures: how to move beyond extractive monocultures toward regenerative timber and multi-species systems.
Community Resilience: what it means for rural people to rely less on global inputs and more on local capacity in an era of volatile markets and climate disruption.
Financial markets, catchment-based pest management, land succession, rural finance, policy shifts and more…
Tairāwhiti is experiencing the impacts of previous land use decisions and increased climate risks on infrastructure, businesses and communities.
While heavily reliant on sectors such as farming, horticulture, viticulture and forestry, the region has realised that to achieve economic prosperity and resilience, it needs to manage 100,000ha of land away from grazing and forestry and into permanent native vegetation cover.
With diverse land ownership models, including the highest proportion of whenua Māori in Aotearoa, various forestry companies, large-scale land blocks to small-scale farmers and horticulturalists, Tairāwhiti can showcase models for integrating mosaic land uses into productive systems of all sizes.
By convening this summit here, we aim to celebrate and support the region's leadership in sustainable land management, while fostering collaborative solutions that can be models across Aotearoa.
In Partnership with Tairāwhiti Environment Centre
We’re proud to be partnering with Tairāwhiti Environment Centre (TEC), a locally-led hub bringing decades of knowledge, community connection, and environmental advocacy.
TEC works with and supports on-the-ground Taiao initiatives, catchment groups, and biodiversity projects already underway across the region
Staying During the Summit
We encourage attendees to immerse themselves for the full weekend.
More information on Staying during the Summit coming soon.
Schedule Coming Soon!
“The earth is what we all have in common”
- Wendell Berry
2026 Future Whenua Field Trip
In 2025 we held our first Future Whenua Field Trip which highlight three awesome projects in the area.
Our field trip gives us the opportunity to see, feel and experience the work of some pioneering regenerates ahead of the summit.
We will be bringing a similar experience on Wednesday the 11th March, visiting a range of te taiao led projects in Tairāwhiti.
The Gift Economy
We operate FWS in the spirit of the gift economy. It is our pleasure to host this event and don't want cost to be a barrier to attendance (comparable Ag events range from $200 to $800).
We use a ‘pay what you can’ model, encouraging equity.
We thank you for your attendance and contributions.