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A Pan-Pacific Vaka Network 24 Aug 2016

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A Pan-Pacific Vaka Network 24 Aug 2016 A Pan-Pacific Vaka Network: Institutionalizing Modern Polynesian Sailing Boats The Okeanos Project © 2016 For the last eight years, the dedicated work of the Okeanos Foundation has fostered a renaissance in traditional Polynesian boat construction, sailing and navigational training that has inspired innovative, culturally based solutions to the challenges Pacific islands are facing. I. Building Upon the Past to Prepare for the Future The Okeanos vision for the Pacific is based on the fundamentally holistic principle that the solutions to the urgent problems islanders are facing require respecting and building upon traditional knowledge to prepare for the future. We have witnessed again and again how embracing the almost lost art of Polynesian wayfinding, deeply rooted in traditional ocean stewardship, has consistently motivated and inspired community led innovation. Ocean Transportation: The Lifeblood of the Pacific Okeanos understands that regular and healthy transportation between the islands is the lifeblood of the region’s circulation system; it fuels Pacific history and culture, unity and economy. Building upon the genius of traditional Pacific engineering and knowledge, Okeanos has constructed, in partnership with Pacific experts across the region, more than a dozen Vaka Okeanos: traditionally designed sailing canoes, built with modern materials and propelled by fossil-fuel free technologies. Simultaneously, Okeanos has supported the training of hundreds of Pacific islanders from more than ten nations in traditional sailing and navigation. Now. A critical moment in history. Pacific islands’ vulnerability to climate change has never been more visible. In 2015, Kiribati President Anote Tong brought his country’s plight to the world stage announcing preparations for climate induced migration while simultaneously five Samoan islands were disappearing under rising sea levels. In June 2016, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon honored the worldwide voyage of Polynesian Voyaging Society’s Hōkūleʻa drawing international attention to the threats the Pacific ocean and its peoples are facing. Today, the global community, and the Pacific region as a whole, are searching for best practices and evidence-based plans to prepare small island nations for environmental threats while protecting culture, providing tools for sustainable development and economic independence from foreign aid, goods and fossil fuels. II. Okeanos History and Impact: Eight Years of Evidence Okeanos’ efforts and ethos stand on the shoulders of Pacific island heroes who revived the almost lost Polynesian art of wayfinding, the students of Mau Piailug and the brave men and women who brought Hōkūleʻa to life in 1976 and continue her courageous voyage today. Okeanos’ developing modern sailing canoes and supporting vaka-based initiatives provides visible evidence of the effectiveness of modernized Polynesian sustainable sea transportation to be fully embraced at the local level for a variety of purposes. Today, the real world use and implementation of Okeanos Vakas in seven Pacific countries, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, Vanuatu, is proof of concept, a realization of the potential and need for a pan-Pacific vaka network. International Voyage, Cultural Revival, Capacity Building In 2008, Okeanos began working with voyaging societies across the Pacific to develop and build a fleet of seven traditionally designed, fossil fuel free double masted Vaka Moanas, representing 10 island nations. Our international voyage Te Mana O Te Moana (The Spirit of the Ocean) began April 2011. Over the course of two years, hundreds of sailors were trained as they navigated across the Pacific twice, carrying the message of respect for culture and ocean and visiting 15 nations along the way. Collectively we safely sailed 210,000 nautical miles of open ocean. Map of Te Mana O Te Moana International Voyage 2011-2012 The Gifting of Vakas: Voyaging Societies and a Renaissance in Wayfinding Culture In 2012, Okeanos gifted four vakas from the Te Mana O Te Moana fleet to the voyaging societies of Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, and Tahiti. The significant impact of the Okeanos gifted vakas can be seen throughout the Pacific as iconic symbols of cultural pride and hope for the future featured on agency and government issued currency, stamps, tourism and Policy materials. Okeanos Vaka Gaualofa gifted to Samoan Voyaging Society is featured on the cover of Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) strategic plan as well as within “A Framework for a Pacific Oceanscape” endorsed by Pacific Island Forum leaders. Okeanos Vaka Uto-Ni-Yalo gifted to Fiji Voyaging Society featured on Fiji national stamp series. Left, Center: Okeanos Vaka Marumaru Atua gifted to Cook Island Voyaging Society featured on Cook Island five dollar coin and Bank of Cook Island Mastercard. Right: Okeanos Vaka Faafaite gifted to French Polynesian Voyaging Society featured on cover of AirTahiti’s Revatahiti magazine. Right: IUCN World Congress 2016 website and promotional materials feature Okeanos Vaka Moanas from Te Mana O Te Moana fleet. Left: IUCN World Congress 2016 website and promotional materials feature Okeanos Vakas Moanas from Te Mana O Te Moana fleet. !3 III. Okeanos Mission: A Pan-Pacific Vaka Network Islanders from across the Pacific have embraced Okeanos Vakas as their vehicles from which to launch innovative and interdisciplinary solutions to the challenges they face. It is the mission of the Okeanos Foundation to implement a pan-Pacific inter-island vaka network to fulfill unlimited regional needs for transportation of cargo and people (passengers, doctors, teachers, etc) through commercial enterprises as well as culturally based platforms for education, research and ocean monitoring. Public Service Needs: Inter-Island Transportation Infrastructure ● A pan-Pacific vaka network would provide sustainable, safe, adequate, and affordable transport services at all times to all people including those in remote areas and the outer islands. Disaster Brigade (emergency response network) ● Pan-Pacific vaka network of 40 plus boats stationed on each island nation with trained crew ready as emergency responders in the event of natural disasters. ● Benefits: The Okeanos Vakas are able to navigate shallow waters and land on beaches without docks. They are propelled by alternative energy (wind, sun, coconut oil), independent from fossil fuel, and always immediately operable to move people, supplies and relief between the affected islands. Ocean Monitoring Infrastructure ● The sustained presence of a pan-Pacific vaka network would provide new and regular transects between the islands and the opportunity to collect much needed ocean data for the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). ● Okeanos Vakas outfitted with ocean sensing devices would provide sustained data- streams that are critical contributions to the GOOS Pacific system, filling gaps in the international database. Localized Pacific ocean monitoring capabilities build the region’s capacity for environmental management, forecasting, storm prediction and climate change preparedness. Scientific Research Platforms ● The Okeanos Vakas are driven by wind and solar power are quiet, non-polluting and often provide the perfect platform for scientists, ocean researchers and observers to work in close proximity with marine wildlife. The unique catamaran design provides researchers with sustained access to remote, hard to get to areas that are difficult for standard fossil fuel driven boats to reach. Education and Ocean Stewardship ● Okeanos Vakas are innovative floating classrooms providing a wide variety of educational experiences through partnerships with schools and universities across the Pacific. Okeanos Vakas have a long history of inspiring learning in traditional navigation, ocean stewardship, environmental and ecosystem science for elementary, high school and university students. ● Okeanos Vakas equipped with ocean monitoring devices can feed data to local universities providing educational resources for ocean observation education and training. Workforce Development ● The establishment of a pan-Pacific vaka network involves the training and sustained efforts of Pacific peoples in a variety of disciplines and expertise. Involved islanders from across the region will be needed to implement a wide array of skilled activities including boat building and maintenance, sailing, navigation, ocean monitoring and data collection, and small business development. Private and Commercial Service Opportunities: ● Sustainable community led business initiatives ● Cargo and Passenger transportation ● Culture and History Based Tourism ● Ecotourism (whale watching and shark sanctuaries) ● Boat Building and Technical Maintenance ● Training Certificates Okeanos 2016 On-The-Ground Activities: In 2016, Okeanos began several international efforts as first steps toward the development of a pan- Pacific vaka network. Our current activities include: ● Building four new Okeanos Vakas ○ three Okeanos Vakas built at Salthouse Boatyard, New Zealand ○ Development of a new boatyard in Tahiti, building one Okeanos Vaka there ● Launching of Okeanos Sustainable Sea Transportation small businesses in New Zealand, Tahiti, Tonga and Vanuatu ● Implementing coconut oil engines into Okeanos Vakas to advance their capability and efficiency in daily, practical use ● Establishing research partnerships for the implementation of appropriate (low- cost) ocean monitoring flow-through
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