ABSTRACT
This intermezzo connects the Earth's ‘heartbeat’, derived from thunderstorms and lightning flashes, known as the Schumann resonances to whale migration, navigation, and communication, and to the recent flexing of settler colonial muscles in Aotearoa New Zealand. Whales are well adapted to life in deep seas; their songs resonate for thousands of miles underwater. The whale is an important physical and cultural symbol for Māori, the indigenous New Zealand population. Settler colonialism impacts Aotearoa New Zealand in many ways and te Tiriti o Waitangi, signed in 1840, was meant to reflect an agreement and partnership between Māori and the British Crown. This is of paramount importance given the current climate and the ATLAS free trade deal that Aotearoa New Zealand has just signed with the European Union. Discussions have been heated in Parliament where a minority bill was introduced in November 2024 to try and radically alter the way te Tiriti was interpreted. Māori MPs performed the Haka in protest about the proposed law and the impact this would have on future interpretations of te Tiriti. These events have reverberated like whale song, where the past-present-futures of the Māori legacies are the pivot of resistance against neo-capitalist colonialism.
