A male humpback whale in Moorea, Tahiti. Photo credit: Pacific Whale Fund.
Source: The Climate Tribe
To Mere Takoko, an Indigenous Māori conservationist, whales are a wise ancestor. Today, Mere is leading a global effort to protect tohorā (whales) and recover populations of these threatened species through Indigenous-led Ocean solutions, including the legal initiative to confer personhood on whales.
For our world’s whales, 50 million years of flourishing in the oceans came to an abrupt and violent end during the dawn of humanity’s industrial revolution in the 1800s.
The gentle, highly intelligent mammals that are “ecosystem engineers” were massacred ruthlessly at a global scale, pushing populations to the brink of extinction. The reason? Whale oil was used to lubricate machinery and illuminate cities across the US and Europe.
“While that was happening, a great shadow was cast upon us in the Pacific, and it’s a painful history that we are now working to reconcile,” says Mere Takoko, a descendant of the Indigenous Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau a Apanui and Rongowhakaata Māori tribal Nations in New Zealand.
Mere Takoko, proudly represents the Pacific as the first Indigenous Ambassador for the newly launched CBA initiative at St. James Palace. Photo credit: Pacific Whale Fund.
From the age of three, little Mere knew that whales were her family, her ancestors. Over 22 species of whales reside in the nutrient-rich Pacific waters of Aotearoa (the Māori name for New Zealand), swimming by its coastlines to feed, mate and calve. Mere would listen in absolute delight and wonder to ancient songs about the bond between humans and whales forged centuries ago.
“The tohorā (whale) is more than just a creature of the sea for us. As an ancestor, the whale is a living embodiment of whakapapa, which means genealogy,” explains Mere.
I descend from Paikea, who is a legendary ancestor that rode a whale to Te Ika-a-Maui (New Zealand), and this connection to the tohorā (whale) has been passed down through many generations.”
“I can actually trace my genealogy back to the whale and back to the mother of the whales, Hinemoana, the goddess of the ocean.”
When Mere set out across the Atlantic to Minnesota on a soccer scholarship to study international affairs at the age of 17, it set in motion the wheels of a journey destined to change the world’s relationship with her beloved whales.
Mere recounts her exposure to Indigenous activism: “I was adopted by this amazing Native environmentalist, Winona LaDuke, who had established a number of Native groups, including Honour the Earth. She took me under her wing and really inspired me to pursue work in this field because she helped conscientise me on all these modern issues.”
She started working with Winona and one of her groups, the Indigenous Women’s Network. Mere also interned under the tutelage of Vernon Bellecourt and Bill Means, then leaders of the American Indian Movement. Back at home, Mere continued this work, rising through the ranks of various environmental organisations such as Greenpeace and Conservation International. She also served as an advisor to the New Zealand Cabinet while being the founding trustee of multiple local NGOs.
However, her home climate was changing. “The year 2000 is memorable, not just because it was the change of the millennium, but for the first time since I can remember, we had rainy New Year and Christmas periods. Before that, it was always hot consistently. The sun was always shining.” After successive spells of flooding, Aotearoa was hit by the worst recorded hurricane in February 2023.
For the whales, a warming and acidifying ocean, paired with brutal ship strikes, noise, plastic and chemical pollution, meant new and severe threats.
As a culmination of over 25 years into her journey, Mere co-founded a pioneering initiative, the Pacific Whale Fund, in 2024.
“The Pacific Whale Fund is an initiative which advocates for the legal personhood of whales and is working to establish a network of customary marine protected areas throughout the Pacific,” Mere explains.
“We believe that recognising the inherent rights of whales is crucial for restoring the balance to the ocean, but also mitigating climate change. Whales, as ‘climate champions’, play a significant role in carbon sequestration and ecosystem health.”
The organisation also aims to harness the traditional Polynesian practice of Rāhui, which operates as a “halo” of protection, implementing a no-take zone around the whales on their migratory journeys.
They’re also raising 100 million dollars for a conservation fund and will use sustainable finance to restore 1 million whales to the Pacific – a number that closely matches the whales fished out of New Zealand waters, says Mere.
She emphasises that reclaiming Indigenous guardianship and delivering climate equity are central. “This is about a fundamental shift in the relationship we enjoy with the natural world, one that has been central to the ethos of Indigenous communities for many, many millennia.”
The Pacific Whale Fund was co-founded in July 2023 with Dr Ralph Chami, former Assistant Director at the International Monetary Fund, who is known for estimating the economic value of a whale’s ecosystem services.
The worth of the whale? Over $2 million, and their potential to capture 1.7 billion tons of CO₂ annually if populations were restored.
In March 2024, Mere authored the He Whakaputanga Moana Declaration. This agreement was signed by Ariki (royalty) from Aotearoa, Tahiti Nui, Rapanui, Hawaii, Alaska, Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands. The Declaration confers legal personhood to whales and dolphins in the Pacific.
Nevertheless, in just six months, not only has the proposed legislation, the Te Mana o Te Tohorā Bill (‘the Enduring Power of Whales’), been launched, but their effort to protect whales has also been supported by King Charles as part of Mere’s Ambassador role with the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance.
Throughout the legislative drafting process, Mere would visit whales in the waters of Tonga, Tahiti and New Zealand, even swimming alongside them to seek permission for her work. “For me, it’s very, very important that I connect at a spiritual and physical level with our tohorā, and that requires being close to them.”
Mere says. “For too long, we’ve plundered the ocean’s riches. We don’t want to rewrite history, but certainly write a collective future which respects the whale and can illuminate a sustainable pathway forward.”
A future where the precious melodies of millions of whales reverberate once more through the deep blue oceans.
