Te Tai Ao - Natural Environment

Marama holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Auckland. She is a Senior Research Fellow and Acting Director at the James Henare Māori Research Centre. Marama also advises on elderly health projects in the School of Population Health. Her research is primarily concerned with debates and critical challenges in social anthropology where she focuses on the cultural specificity of iwi-Māori and their unique sense of place and belonging in New Zealand.  What distinguishes Marama nationally as a social scientist is her specialization in water, environment and indigenous rights. She currently holds a Royal Society Marsden Research Grant, is on the Board of the Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania and is a Council member of the Journal of the Polynesian Society, New Zealand’s oldest scholarly journal.

Her book Tūpuna Awa: People and Politics of the Waikato River, was published by Auckland University Press in 2016. Marama was awarded a Visiting Chilean Research Fellowship in 2015 and has conducted research with scholars from Pontificia Catolica Universidad examining the impacts of increased privatised geothermal and hydro electricity generation on Mapuche who reside in the Araucania of Chile. She also has research collaborations with other University of Auckland scholars that involve improving the water quality of New Zealand Rivers and investigating the resilience of Maori buildings.

Marama is from Turangawaewae Marae and is of Waikato and Ngati Maniapoto descent. 

Melanie is an Indigenous environmental sociologist, and the Māori Research Manager – Kaiārahi for the Bio-Protection Research Centre (a Centre of Research Excellence) based at Lincoln University.

She is also the Māori Manager for New Zealand’s Biological Heritage National Science Challenge, a founding member of Te Tira Whakamātaki; the Māori Biosecurity Network and a project leader and researcher in a number of National Science Challenge, Tertiary Education Commission and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment programmes including ‘Mātauranga Māori characterisation of NZ’s biodiversity,’ ‘Protecting NZ’s primary sector from plant pests: a toolkit for the urban battlefield,’ and ‘Protecting New Zealand from extreme fire.’

Since 2011 Melanie has been funded through various research institutes and government agencies to examine disaster risk reduction (DRR) and the effects of the Canterbury earthquakes on Māori communities, work that she believes links closely to the biosecurity sector. Melanie worked for Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu and its education subsidiary Te Tapuae o Rehua from 2001-2008.

Ocean’s teaching and research interests are varied, but her key focus is how mātauranga Māori and science connect and relate, particularly in educational contexts and using novel digital technologies. She co-leads a National Science Challenge project investigating the perceptions of novel biotechnological controls of pest wasps in Aotearoa. Her research also involves kaupapa Māori reading of films. She is the presenter of Māori Television's Project Mātauranga and presents for TVNZ’s Coast.

Current research projects

• Social and cultural perceptions of novel biotechnological controls of pest wasps, with Prof. Phil Lester
• Virtual exchanges on Indigenous knowledge(s) and science in global contexts, with Dr Beth Leonard, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
• Student learning and engagement in the Te Kawa a Māui Atlas
• Place-based and map-based work in Māori Studies
• The 48 Hour Film Competition: what do the audio commentaries reveal?

Research interests

• The interface between mātauranga Māori and science
• Cultural mapping and digital media in documenting local knowledge and diversifying the tertiary education experience
• Kaupapa Māori readings of film, especially those of Taika Waititi
• Portrayals of culture in limited-time film, especially the V48 Hours Furious Filmmaking Competition
• Use of locally relevant 'cultural context' in science resources, especially Te Whata Kura Ahupungao, an initiative of the Faculty of Science (Equity) that has provided multimedia resources for learners and teachers of physics. Short, educational films can be downloaded or watched online in te reo and English.
• Indigenous academic experience.