Professor Linda Waimarie Nikora FRSNZ, HFNZPS
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Linda Waimarie Nikora is co-director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga and a Professor of Indigenous Studies at Te Wānanga o Waipapa, the University of Auckland. She was previously Professor of Psychology and Director of the Maori & Psychology Research Unit at the University of Waikato. Her specialities are in in community psychology, applied social psychology, ethnopsychology and Maori development.
Professor Nikora has a celebrated research and academic career, working in community, social and indigenous psychologies, with a specific focus on Māori wellbeing and self-determination. Her research in recent years has focused on Tangi: Māori ways of mourning; traditional body modification; ethnic status as a stressor; Māori identity development; cultural safety and competence; Māori mental health and recovery; social and economic determinants of health; homelessness; relational health; and social connectedness.
Whakaahua & Ataata · Images & Videos
Rangahau · Related projects
Māori doctoral scholars often face significant challenges in universities dominated by Western academic traditions. These environments can clash with Māori cultural values and needs, reflecting colonial legacies that marginalise Indigenous knowledge and methodologies. To address these challenges, the Te Kupenga o MAI (MAI) programme was created in the late…
View projectTahatū-o-te-rangi: a study of the experiences and contributions of MAI Te Kupenga PhD scholars
Māori doctoral scholars often face significant challenges in universities dominated by Western academic traditions. These environments can clash with Māori cultural values and needs, reflecting colonial legacies that marginalise Indigenous knowledge and methodologies. To address these challenges, the Te Kupenga o MAI (MAI) programme was created in the late 1990s by Professor Graham Smith. This initiative supports Māori and Indigenous PhD students across Aotearoa New Zealand, providing mentorship, resources, and community connections grounded in Māori cultural values. MAI helps reduce isolation and creates culturally safe spaces for Māori scholars to succeed academically while maintaining their cultural identity.
This research focuses on understanding the long-term impact of the MAI programme by examining the experiences of recent Māori PhD graduates. It aims to explore their motivations, challenges, and the role MAI played in supporting them, as well as their career pathways and contributions to their communities after completing their studies. The findings will inform future efforts to support Māori doctoral scholars, ensuring they thrive in academia and contribute meaningfully to their whānau, hapū, iwi, and society.
Conscious of the lack of serious inquiry into Kapa Haka, the CEO of Te Matatini Inc, the National Organisation for Kapa Haka in Aotearoa New Zealand approached Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence (NPM), to make a start on rectifying this situation. This programme of research seeks to better appreciate the value and…
- Nikora et al. (2022). The Value of Kapa Haka – An Overview Report. Auckland, NZ : Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga
- Hall, M., & Bowden, L. (2021). Māori Performing Arts and Educational Outcomes Report.
- Meade, R. (2021). Exploring the Cultural Value of Kapa Haka – the Māori Performing Arts
- Mikaere, T.M. (2021). Ngā hua nui o te kapa haka.
- Nikora et al. (2021). Exploring the value and meaning of Kapa Haka - Māori Performing Arts : The Hine Rēhia Survey. Auckland, NZ
- Selby-Rickit, T.H.R. (2021). Ngā hua nui o te kapa haka.
- Te Huia, A., & Fox, R. (2020). Manawa ū ki te reo Māori : Matatini and non-Matatini survey responses
Ngā Hua a Te Matatini : The benefits of kapa haka to Aotearoa
- Nikora et al. (2022). The Value of Kapa Haka – An Overview Report. Auckland, NZ : Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga
- Hall, M., & Bowden, L. (2021). Māori Performing Arts and Educational Outcomes Report.
- Meade, R. (2021). Exploring the Cultural Value of Kapa Haka – the Māori Performing Arts
- Mikaere, T.M. (2021). Ngā hua nui o te kapa haka.
- Nikora et al. (2021). Exploring the value and meaning of Kapa Haka - Māori Performing Arts : The Hine Rēhia Survey. Auckland, NZ
- Selby-Rickit, T.H.R. (2021). Ngā hua nui o te kapa haka.
- Te Huia, A., & Fox, R. (2020). Manawa ū ki te reo Māori : Matatini and non-Matatini survey responses
Tangi is the ultimate form of Māori cultural and community expression. Addressing the dearth of scholarly information, this study considers tangi practice, whakapapa, changing environments, community values, sharing knowledge, ritual and what it means to be Māori. The research team has been examining the life-values, beliefs and practices related to…
View projectAituā: Death in a changing Māori World
This Ageing Well NSC research project explored the unique role of kaumātua within Ngāti Whakaue, challenging government definitions that homogenise Māori elders. It highlights how kaumātua serve whānau, marae, hapū, and iwi—and what’s needed to support and sustain their leadership into the future.
View projectKaumātua Futures: Ko te pae tawhiti, whāia kia tata. Ngāti Whakaue Case Study
This Ageing Well NSC research project explored the unique role of kaumātua within Ngāti Whakaue, challenging government definitions that homogenise Māori elders. It highlights how kaumātua serve whānau, marae, hapū, and iwi—and what’s needed to support and sustain their leadership into the future.
We are now 30+ years on from when our children first had the opportunity to attend Kōhanga. They are a part of a fortunate generation, like those who will follow them. And so too are those that are following. But what of those older Māori, their parents and grandparents, some of who do speak te reo but many who do not? What challenges to tikanga, age…
View projectChallenges and continuities: Unintended impacts of Te Reo Māori language revitalisation efforts
We are now 30+ years on from when our children first had the opportunity to attend Kōhanga. They are a part of a fortunate generation, like those who will follow them. And so too are those that are following. But what of those older Māori, their parents and grandparents, some of who do speak te reo but many who do not? What challenges to tikanga, age related roles and relationships do these demographics present? Status, mana, roles, responsibilities, ritual duties and leadership are all age related concepts that, in the Māori world, assume a foundation of learning that leads to experience, competence and accumulated wisdom over time.
Ētahi atu · Other people
Professor Sarah-Jane Paine
Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland
Professor Sarah-Jane Paine (Tūhoe) is a leading Māori health researcher and internationally respected authority on…
Professor Sarah-Jane Paine
Associate Professor Deborah Heke
Ngā Puhi, Te Arawa
Te Whare Wananga o Wairaka Unitec
Associate Professor Deborah Heke (Ngā Puhi, Te Arawa) is the Director of Ngā Wai a Te Tūī Māori and Indigenous Research…
Associate Professor Deborah Heke
Kiri Edge
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
Kiri has contributed to a wide range of interdisciplinary research and evaluation projects across both academic and…
