Chaz Doherty
Chaz ‘Te Puehu’ Doherty is of the Tūhoe tribe. The Tūhoe have lived in Te Urewera, the largest Indigenous Forest in The Fish of Māui (Te ika a Māui) also known as the North Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand. The Tuhoe have lived here since the Mist Mother clothed the forest valleys. As a teacher, Chaz works with other Tūhoe people to rekindle and restore connections and return to a complete family with Nature (whānau).
The Tūhoe have lived in Te Urewera, the largest Indigenous Forest in The Fish of Māui (Te ika a Māui) also known as the North Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand. “The biggest displacement we suffered from colonisation, which was torn from us, was our sense of responsibility, so much so that we have forgotten what that looks like”. Thus, Chaz maintains that being Tūhoe involves taking an active role. Nature wills that there is no end to life. Through land-based living and action, the Tūhoe seek to temper their behaviour knowing that people are not born with rights, only privileges, and that with privilege comes responsibility.