Projects

The overarching question driving this research is, what are the critical success factors for Southern Māori SMEs at the different stages of the business life-cycle? To address this question the project team will undertake an in-depth case-study of Southern SMEs and in order to answer the overarching research question, the following questions will be investigated: 1. What are the characteristics of SMEs at the different stages of the business life-cycle (start-up, growth, resource maturity, take off)?

The purpose of this project is to determine if Kahawai (Arripis trutta) in fact enter rivers during summer to spawn. Located in the field in the Eastern Bay of Plenty as well as at Victoria University the intern will conduct field observations and water sampling, and also collect Kahawai from the river to determine their sex and reproductive stage. The intern will learn to conduct hapū initiated kaupapa Māori research that takes a transdiciplinary approach, using methods from multiple disciplines to inform hapū research questions.

The challenge for Māori carrying out development is to determine how to balance the drivers of a neo-liberal economic approach with the very ideals and principles that define us as Māori to ensure quality social and environmental outcomes for future generations. Through a previous NPM research project "Whakatipu rawa mā ngā uri whakatipu" the team has developed a prototype decision-making framework for collective assets, which takes into account well-being indices, tikanga Māori and financial measures.

Intern Mariana Pagan will work with Dr Marion Johnson, CSAFE Otago University during summer 2012-13. This project will scope and implement the collection and storage of land cover spatial data using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies.

Ngāti Kea/Ngāti Tuarā recently built a micro-hydro plant at their marae, Kearoa, and this generates more electricity than the marae can use. The hapū Māori Land Trust is keen to use the electricity as part of a strategy to move away from simply managing stock to also growing vegetables in a temperature controlled glasshouse. This project involves market research into horticulture in the New Zealand and Māori economies.

The purpose of this proposal is for interns to: - experience the ethos of the Māori & Psychology Research Unit and a culture of research excellence; - enhance their knowledge of indigenous psychology; the process of indigenising psychology; and the task of energising an indigenous Māori psychology. - engage with the research cycle and be active in generating research ideas and proposals for funding. Interns will be located on campus at the Māori & Psychology Research Unit, University of Waikato and will:

This research project looks at what the basic conditions are that would need to be in place in order for whanau/hapu and iwi communities to be ready to engage with Extractive Industry (EI); enter joint ventures with EI; or undertake their own EI projects? It will also investigate what the extractive industries perceptions are of international indigenous rights and business and human rights, as well as how recent developments in international law relating to indigenous rights and corporate accountability could promote Māori economic development through EI?

This internship project involves preliminary research for a book proposal on "Māori Law Stories". The book will aim to tell the stories behind a number of historical and contemporary legal cases involving Māori. This is in the tradition of the field of "legal archaeology" - digging up the forgotten or untold aspects of legal cases - who the people were, the reasons for bringing a case, and what happened afterwards.

A survey study conducted in 2012 investigated whether employee perceptions of the extent to which their organisation espoused 5 core Māori values identified in the literature (manaakitanga, wairuatanga, auahatanga, whakawhanaungatanga, and kaitiakitanga), influenced their disposition to engage in helping behaviours at work and feel more committed to the organisation. These relationships were moderated by extent of identification with Māori culture (being Māori vs. identifying as Māori).

The intern Victoria Paul will assist with the qualitative and quantitative assessment of the distribution and abundance of shellfish throughout Tauranga Moana.The supervisor is Associate Professor Paul Kayes

Ōkahu Bay lies adjacent to Te Whenua Rangatira, occupying a dominant headland near the mouth of the Waitemata Harbour, collectively the ancestral home of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.

Whenua Rangatira lies adjacent to Okahu Bay, occupying a dominant headland near the mouth of the Waitemata Harbour. The headland and surroundings are the ancestral home of Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei. Under the Ōrākei Act 1991, several parcels of land, including Whenua Rangatira, were returned to Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to be co-managed as a reserve with Auckland Council for the benefit of all Aucklanders.

The purpose of this project is to examine the Māori and Pacific archives in the Hocken Library pertaining to Tangaroa, the ocean and the sea. The intern will undertake archival research specifically within the Hocken Library and this will form part of the initial stages of the Māori programme of research within the Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge.

Wānanga are iwi located and managed events whose purpose is to share knowledge, create knowledge and to foster community identity, cohesion and wellbeing. Wānanga are conducted regularly by every iwi community in the country and are highly valued by those communities. Wānanga are critical events in the development of iwi/Māori communities and are perhaps only eclipsed by tangihanga as the pre-eminent event of our communities.

The research questions for this project are; - How can active management enhance the economic performance of Māori land trusts? and, - What models of collaboration can Māori land trusts use to enhance economic performance? The aim of the project is to identify sustainable and scalable models of ‘active’ management that will enhance the economic performance of Māori land trusts by 2020. The objectives of this project are to not only identify the key success that will enhance the economic performance of Māori land trusts, but also identify potential models of collaboration.

Māori are more likely to be assessed and treated by a health practitioner trained within a western cultural system that pays little attention to Māori worldviews. Māori continue to experience misdiagnosis, non-voluntary admissions, inappropriate psychometric testing, high suicide rates, limited choices, differences in medication regimes and poorer treatment outcomes.

Whangapoua Harbour is within the Ngati Huarere rohe and they are kaitiaki for the harbour which is considered a taonga. Ngati Huarere are concerned about the effects of the Matarangi Wastewater Treatment Plant discharge on the mauri of the harbour, swimming, the gathering of seafood and the wider cultural relationship that Ngati Huarere enjoyed with the harbour. This research project has been initiated by Ngati Huarere to investigate the impact of the Matarangi Waste Water Treatment Plant on the mauri of Whangapoua Harbour and the ecosystem.

The original research pilot for this project arose out of a desire to make the transition for many whānau relocating from their city/urban lives back home, as comfortable as possible.

Despite the proliferation of equity and diversity plans and policies that have been established in universities across New Zealand over the past 25 years, Māori academic staff make up only a very small proportion of the nation’s academic workforce (6%) and the proportion of Pacific academic staff is even smaller (2%).

This study investigates how Māori and other indigenous scholars make a distinctive contribution to the disciplinary knowledge bases that drive national development in Aotearoa.