About this research
Project Summary
Ngaati Koroki Kahukura are kaitiaki of lands and waters that span from their ancestral mountain, Maungatautari, to their tupuna awa, Waikato, including areas of national significance such as Cambridge (Te Oko Horoi a Taawhiao) and Karaapiro, the site of the last intra-iwi battle of Taumata Wiiwii in the 1800s.
Encompassing two marae, Maungatautari and Pohara, our tupuna, Te Kaapo Clarke, said the following words in reference to Ngaati Koroki Kahukura and its identity: “E rua ngaa marae, kotahi te iwi.”
This research fills a gap in the literature about iwi and hapuu identity in the wider Waikato region. The research addresses a growing desire and need to bring to light and regenerate the origins, whakapapa, and histories of marae, hapuu and iwi.
Research Questions
- How has Ngaati Koroki Kahukura fostered wellbeing within our tribal region and in Te Ao Maaori more broadly?
- What role has Ngaati Koroki Kahukura played as both a repository and influencer for the revitalisation of whakapapa, reo, tikanga and mātauranga in Aotearoa New Zealand?
- What factors underpin Ngaati Koroki Kahukura’s resilience in developing responsible economic and environmental relationships and how might we shift to a higher plane towards an integrated social, economic, environmental and living relational world, as whaanau, hapuu, iwi drawing upon reo, tikanga and maatauranga?
Lead Researcher
Assoc. Prof Linda Te Aho, Ngaati Koroki Kahukura, Ngaati Mahuta, Waikato, University of Waikato
Research Team
Rahui Papa, Ngaati Koroki Kahukura, Ngaati Mahuta, Waikato (Pohara Marae), University of Waikato, Co-Chair Ngaati Koroki Trust
Karaitiana Tamatea, Ngaati Koroki Kahukura, Waikato, Te Aitanga a Mahaki (Maungatautari Marae), University of Waikato, Co-Chair Ngaati Koroki Trust
Hinerangi Kara, Ngaati Koroki Kahukura, Waikato, University of Waikato; Trustee, Ngaati Koroki Kahukura Trust
Highlights
- Presentations in person and online to varying audiences including tribal members
- Guest lecture
- Supporting three summer interns to undertake research
- A media article; A more balanced record: restoring mana whenua perspectives to our history | The Spinoff
- Forthcoming book of the Stories of Ngaati Koroki Kahukura
Spanning from Maungatautari to the Waikato River, this project centres the identity, resilience, and knowledge of Ngaati Koroki Kahukura. Through research grounded in whakapapa, reo, tikanga and mātauranga, we illuminate the vital role our iwi has played in shaping wellbeing, cultural revitalisation, and sustainable relationships within our rohe and beyond.
Kairangahau · Researchers
Associate Professor Linda Te Aho
Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Waikato-Tainui
University of Waikato
Linda is the Associate Dean Māori at Te Piringa Faculty of Law, University of Waikato, and is co-editor of the Waikato…
Associate Professor Linda Te Aho
Ētahi atu · Other projects
Awardee: Linda Te Aho (Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Waikato-Tainui), University of Waikato The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Tikanga and the State - Selected Papers of Sir E. Taihākurei Durie. This collection brings together published and unpublished papers by Tā E. Taihākurei Durie, organised around the theme of…
View projectTikanga and the State - Selected Papers of Sir E. Taihākurei Durie.
Awardee: Linda Te Aho (Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Waikato-Tainui), University of Waikato
The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Tikanga and the State - Selected Papers of Sir E. Taihākurei Durie.
This collection brings together published and unpublished papers by Tā E. Taihākurei Durie, organised around the theme of hapū and Māori communities as the location of Māori authority. While Durie’s 1994 Custom Law paper is pre-eminent in bringing custom law into the realm of jurisprudence, the collection spans a remarkable range of papers and reports written over four decades, each exploring different facets of tikanga.
This internship created a 3D-printed Tekoteko trophy using a biodegradable harakeke filament to honor the memory of Dr Paora Mato. The project blends traditional Māori carving with contemporary art, sparking conversations about tikanga and cultural practice.
View projectHe Tohu Maumahara ki a Paora Mato
This internship created a 3D-printed Tekoteko trophy using a biodegradable harakeke filament to honor the memory of Dr Paora Mato.
The project blends traditional Māori carving with contemporary art, sparking conversations about tikanga and cultural practice.
This project trialled a bush-ready acoustic sound lure, co-developed with Auroa School students, to help draw out remaining possums from hard-to-reach areas of the Kaitake ranges. Supporting Taranaki Mounga Project and DOC’s pest eradication goals, this innovative tech aims to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and protect precious biodiversity.
View projectTe Au Roa – Predator sound lure trial: Draw possums out of those difficult to reach places on Taranaki Mounga
This project trialled a bush-ready acoustic sound lure, co-developed with Auroa School students, to help draw out remaining possums from hard-to-reach areas of the Kaitake ranges.
Supporting Taranaki Mounga Project and DOC’s pest eradication goals, this innovative tech aims to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and protect precious biodiversity.