Darran Kerei-Keepa is the Pouārahi cultural monitor for the Central Region for Pouhere Taonga Heritage New Zealand.
When the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake struck, he played a pivotal role bringing together Te Runanga o Kaikoura and the team of archaeologists excavating the coastal town's many slips and eroded cliffs - and the artefacts that lay within.
He speaks to Emile Donovan about his work and how archaeology, culture and nature all intersect here in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly