Dean conducts research into traditional Māori knowledge, revitalisation of te reo Māori (the Māori language), Māori history, the representation of Māori customs, language and lore in video games, Māori digital media and identities.

He also supervises a number of Masters and PhD students at AUT.

Ngāti Mahuta Waikato
Researcher - Te Ipukarea, National Māori Language Institute,
Auckland University of Technology (AUT)

Related Projects

Scoping project

Project commenced:

Tuurangawaewae Marae: A Place to Stand

The guiding research question for this project are:

1) How has Tuurangawaewae Marae fostered community mauri ora (wellbeing) within Waikato and in Te Ao Maaori more broadly?

2) What role has Tuurangawaewae Marae played as both a repository and a place of action for te Reo me ngaa Tikanga in Waikato and in Aotearoa-New Zealand?

3) What are the factors underpinning Tuurangawaewae Marae’s endurance as a centre for Maaori political action and manaakitanga (caring for community) both nationally and for Waikato whaanau

Kia Tō Kia Tipu - Seeding Excellence

Project commenced:

Te rangiwhāwhā o ngā Atua Māori: The widespread influence of atua Māori in a modern world

What are the implications of reclaiming and reviving the mātauranga associated with nga atua Māori and how does it contribute to reimagining the role of atua Māori in the modern world?

How and why are atua Māori, and associated mātauranga, being referenced in different fields today? For example: Sport, recreation, and nutrition; Health and environmental sciences.

What are recent examples of the application of mātauranga associated with atua Māori in teaching and research? For example: Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo; Dr Rangi Matamua's research in Māori Astronomy.

Internship project

Project commenced:

Te Reo o te Pā Harakeke

This summer internship project is in support of one of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga's large te reo research projects, led through Te Ipukarea.

Te Reo o te Pā Harakeke seeks to understand the factors that contribute to successful intergenerational transmission of the Māori language in the home.

The interns join the research team and support the research in a number of ways with a focus on the research data collected at the first Te Reo o te Pā Harakeke wānanga (November 2017), and in preparation for the second wānanga.