NPM E-PĀNUI

The past month has been a welcome period of collaboration and celebration. 

Our valued partnership with The Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation has resulted in scholarships being awarded to two stunning Māori legal scholars, Amelia Kendall and Pita Roycroft, who will pursue postgraduate studies in the US - read more about them below. Dr Hona Black was also named as this year’s Fulbright NPM Scholar and will undertake research on te reo Māori at the University of Hawai’i. We have also partnered with the organisers of the ‘Designing our Constitution’ Conference to support an upcoming public lecture by the UN Rapporteur, Francisco Calí Tzay, at Waipapa Marae on 4 April.

To say that 2024 started off with a flurry of activity is an understatement. Many of our NPM whānau travelled to Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia on 20 January to join the hui-ā-motu called by Kīngi Tuheitia. The focus on kotahitanga - unity across iwi and across peoples - drew up to 10,000 people from all over the motu. Those gathered were treated to a feast of kōrero from speakers that included our NPM ruānuku and former board chair, Tā Tipene O’Regan.

It is with mixed feelings that we deliver our final e-pānui for 2023. These are unsettling times for many and we are grateful to be able to draw on our collective strength and enduring resilience as a people, and to know that we will continue to carry forward the dreams of our tūpuna and the futures of our mokopuna. Beyond Aotearoa, we acknowledge the tremendous suffering that others are facing. Our deepest aroha goes out to the whānau and communities of Gaza - many of our NPM whānau have been involved in events and initiatives to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

The wider NPM whānau have been preparing for a busy November with two major events on the calendar - the virtual International Indigenous Climate Change Research Summit that will take place 13 - 17 November (read more below) and the hui-ā-tau for the MAI national Māori and Indigenous postgraduate network that will be held at Massey University, 15 - 18 November. We are still taking registrations for IIRCS, with a very minimal fee for students, communities and NGOs thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

The past month has been an extremely busy one at NPM with our network being in full planning mode for the upcoming International Indigenous Climate Change Research Summit. The virtual gathering, which will take place from November 13 – 17, is designed to amplify Indigenous voices, ideas and actionable solutions on climate change. We are privileged to have Finnish Sámi leader, artist and activist Pauliina Feodoroff as our invited keynote speaker.

This month the NPM whānau were thrilled to celebrate the news that our NPM Ruānuku Emeritus Professor Ngahuia Te Awekotuku (Te Arawa, Tūhoe, Ngāpuhi, Waikato) was elected as a Companion of the Royal Society Te Apārangi. The award of Companion—Ngā Takahoa a Te Apārangi - recognises outstanding leadership or sustained contributions to promoting and advancing science, technology, or the humanities in Aotearoa.

July has been a busy month for our NPM secretariat with calls for proposals out for our New Horizons summer internships and Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation grants, as well as the opening of submissions for our Indigenous Climate Change Research Summit. We are excited about the widespread interest shown in the opportunities on offer and look forward to announcing the outcomes in coming months.

 

In this month’s e-pānui we kōrero with two of our researchers, Professor of Architecture Deidre Brown and PhD student Kapua O’Connor, about the implications of their current research. Deidre, who is a Fellow of both the Royal Society Te Apārangi and New Zealand Institute of Architects, shares her unique insights into how the current housing environment impedes access to high-quality multi-generational housing for whānau. Kapua, who recently published the co-authored book A Fire in the Belly of Hineāmaru, explores the nuances of ahikā and its potential to expand contemporary understandings of mana. Meanwhile in our ‘meet the researchers’ section, Associate Professor Donna Cormack, who leads our RIRI (Research to Interrupt Racism and (In)equity) programme, shares what makes her tick.

This month was one of celebration, with the announcement of increased funding for Te Mataini in Budget 2023 and several prestigious awards going to wāhine across our networks. 

The NPM whānau were thrilled to see the government commit $34 million over two years to Te Matatini, up from just $2.9 million a year. It was a long-awaited and much-needed boost to a kaupapa that for decades has had a profound impact on whānau and communities, extending far beyond the biennial showcase event. NPM was proud to partner with Te Matatini and other research partners to produce the report The Value of Kapa Haka last year, along with a widely-viewed webinar.