About ORKA
The Ocean Rights and Kinship Alliance (ORKA) is a network of people around the Pacific (and beyond), who are working to protect the rights of oceans to thrive and be healthy, and to promote greater understanding of the cultural relationships and kinship we share with ocean life. Our members come from all corners of the Pacific Ocean, and beyond. We emphasise the diversity of our cultural and genealogical connections to the ocean, and the importance of maintaining this diversity.
ORKA began as a two-day workshop in November 2018, convened in Auckland by the late Sue Taei. The purpose of the workshop was to draw on emerging legal thought around the rights of nature and legal personhood, and think about how these could be applied to the ocean – both within and across national jurisdictions. Since 2018, our network has continued to meet and collaborate on a range of events and projects.
ORKA’s goals are:
- To connect people who work with ocean rights and kinship as a conceptual framework, to share ideas with each other, and to collaborate on practical initiatives.
- To normalise the idea of kinship/oceanhood as a basis for decision-making.
- To learn from people and communities who understand ocean kinship through their own traditional practices.
About our Members
Please visit our membership page to find out about the amazing people who are part of our network, and who work tirelessly to care for and protect our oceans. View the ORKA members here.
"We are the Ocean, and the Ocean is us"
At the event that created the ORKA network, a statement was created that reflects our shared views and intentions. You can read this statement here.
Events
Upcoming events will be listed here. Check back soon!
Latest News from the Network
Nature’s Rights in Generation Ocean Learning Programme
November 22, 2022
AELA's National Convenor, Dr Michelle Maloney, has contributed to the development of a new, secondary school, learning program by The Ocean Race called Generation Ocean.Read more...
