ABSTRACT
In Aotearoa/New Zealand, social work has a strong bicultural focus and concepts of indigeneity, alongside a holistic worldview including spirituality, create space for environmental issues to be considered within social work practice. The reef on which the Rena grounded is near the city of Tauranga, New Zealand's largest port. Approximately 115,000 people live in Tauranga; 17 per cent are Ma-ori. Many people live along the coastal strip. Participating in the clean-up had a positive effect on those who volunteered. The chapter focuses on the community of Maketu-, as our survey results demonstrated that volunteers from Maketu-were much more likely to have attended multiple clean-up events than volunteers in other locations. The clean-up leaders were all members of the local Ma-ori community who were quickly able to get support from elders to run the clean-up from their marae which was situated on the shore of the estuary.
