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Historical trauma is a term commonly used by Native American researchers who have investigated the impact of past relationships between native populations and settler governments on current and future generations of Native Americans.

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.