For almost 15 years now, the whale watching company in Kaikoura, New Zealand, has been run by the Ngai Tahu Maori tribe. They have always lived in Kaikoura and know the region's ecosystem inside out.
For them, man is only a visitor to nature's beauty, and must respect it.
Today, they apply this philosophy to an increasingly flourishing activity: taking people out to sea to observe Paraoa, the great sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). This species is resident here. Juveniles and adult males come to Kaikoura to feed on the underwater fault near the coast.

The Ngai Tahu tribe claim an ancestral link with this whale, since their mythical ancestor Paikea came to Kaikoura on the back of Tohora, the legendary sperm whale.
However, under the influence of the first Europeans to settle in New Zealand, the Ngai Tahu participated in whaling for over a century.

Today, however, they are helping the Maoris to evolve, both on the ground and on the international stage, without abandoning their traditions. As the Maoris enter the third millennium, they are aware of their duty to preserve this fabulous heritage, this gift from nature...


Documentary: Keepers of the Forest Paraoa, the big sperm whale
Directed by: Benoît SEGUR
Production: ZED

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