Healthy Families East Cape’s Jade Kameta, ready for NASA Europa Clipper Mission Launch Event for Indigenous Youth in Florida, USA next month

Jade Kameta, Rautaki Māori for Healthy Families East Cape, is ready for take off on a 'once in a lifetime’ journey to NASA Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA for the Europa Clipper Mission Launch Event for Indigenous Youth. The NASA event organisers and hosts have invited more than 100 indigenous youth and their chaperones to participate in the launch of Europa Clipper, the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for planetary exploration. 

The event will take place at Cape Canaveral between 7 and 12 October 2024, world-famous as the launchpad where ‘one giant leap for mankind’ began and aerospace and technology were born. The Europa Clipper event is an exciting opportunity to not only be part of NASA’s ‘BAU’ - launch missions to space, but it also provides an important platform for our indigenous youth to demonstrate and celebrate the profound traditional indigenous knowledge systems and worldview of our people. Further to this, the event also serves as an occasion that can inspire rangatahi to pursue STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

The launch event boasts an impressive cohort of indigenous communities from across the Americas, Canada and Aotearoa New Zealand including the Anishnaabe/Ojibway people from Ontario, Canada; North American First Nations from Wabanaki in Maine; Pamunkey from Virginia; Sicangu Lakota from South Dakota; Umonhon and others from Nebraska; Pakawa from Texas; Navajo from New Mexico/Arizona/Utah; Native Alaskan, and Māori from Aotearoa New Zealand. These groups from at least ten tribal nations and indigenous communities across the globe will come together to participate in special events, launch viewing, and Indigenous Knowledge Exchange,’ all while being immersed in cutting edge planetary exploration science and technology.  

Hohepa Hei, the Education Group Manager at Te Pou Oranga o Te Whakatohea and Taniora Maxwell, lead of the Te Tirohanga a Toi research project and a valued member of the Te Ao Hou Trust are in charge of coordinating the haerenga for our rangatahi travellers.  

Jade (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue, Te Whakatohea, Te Whānau a Apanui) has always been passionate about mātauranga Māori, and says that as someone responsible for leading kaupapa like mātauranga Māori regeneration, it's important to connect, learn and work alongside rangatira, like Hohepa and Taniora. 

“Hohepa has long and strong relationships with the First Nations peoples of America and Canada, and he has worked on a variety of kaupapa over the years. This has led to incredible opportunities, such as this one," says Jade.    

“Similarly, Taniora’s leadership in te ao Maori and the contributions he has made and continues to make towards equitable outcomes for Maori and tangata Tiriti in Aotearoa are very inspiring. 
“I’ve been privileged to connect with many, like Hohepa and Taniora, from all around the motu, who’ve helped me drive kaupapa like maramataka, and creating systems change for the wellbeing of our people.” 

Jade is a passionate practitioner of mātauranga Māori and tikanga Māori at Healthy Families East Cape, with experience that has seen him work across the public health system throughout Aotearoa in a magnitude of different roles. He, alongside other passionate and expert Rautaki Māori throughout the Healthy Families NZ movement, utilise Maramataka to explore the reclamation of health and wellbeing through an indigenous worldview and concept of time and space. Is it this deep connection between te ao Māori (Māori worldviews) and more specifically, Maramataka, and NASA’s work in relation to space exploration where Jade sees a key opportunity for knowledge sharing and co-developing a global indigenous community of practice through the haerenga and connection between communities who are attending. 

“It’s just special to share something that is central to me and who I am, and who we are as Māori. Space is as intrinsic to who we are as our taiao, whenua and mātauranga, and we should not underestimate the power it has in shaping and creating wellbeing for our people. Our tipuna had it down to a craft for thousands of years – the stars and space guided us. There’s also an opportunity here through our roopu to offer broad and important perspectives on the integration of indigenous wisdom and ways of thinking, with the modern systems that we know NASA boasts. At the heart of it all, is sharing that indigenous systems and western knowledge systems are equally valid, valuable, and vital, and NASA’s funding of this haerenga provides a great opportunity to serve our future generations and communities through knowledge sharing.” 

Europa Clipper will launch from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The launch window opens on October 10, 2024, and the spacecraft will begin its journey to the Jupiter system, implementing a Mars-Earth Gravity Assist trajectory. It will arrive in 2030, insert into orbit around Jupiter, and begin four years of study with 50 flybuys of Europa planned. 

Prior to the event launch, the roopu will also be taking part in ‘Tipis and Telescopes’, an added opportunity to learn from and listen to indigenous speakers from around the world on star knowledge. Jade is thrilled to be able to contribute and present at ‘Tipis and Telescopes’, and through this trip, contributing to the wider journey and revitalisation of Maramataka as a framework for Healthy Families’ initiatives throughout our movement in Aotearoa.  
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For more information, continue to follow us on social media at Healthy Families East Cape and also on our Healthy Families East Cape website. Jade will be taking us on a real-time social media journey when he sets off on his trip, and sharing the knowledge back with our audiences to ensure the knowledge sharing and exchange is available to us and our people. Contact Jade to hear more at [email protected]  ​