The hīnaki is a weaved net that has been taught intergenerationally among my people who are the Indigenous Māori people belonging to the Whanganui River from Aotearoa, New Zealand. The hīnaki remains a significant tool in food gathering today. The hīnaki is weaved from the inner fibres of the aerial roots from the aka kiekie (vine), alongside akatea or rātā (tree with red timber), and through using karewao (supplejack) (Best 2005; Downes 1917; Haami & Tinirau 2021; Horwood & Wilson 2008; Young 1998). The hīnaki is an important symbol for Whanganui Iwi (Whanganui tribal nation), being featured as a key component of Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims) Settlement 2017, which formalised the legal personhood of the Whanganui River.