Matakitenga project

This project marked the first phase of an initiative to support the long-term flourishing of rangatahi takatāpui within Te Ranga Tupua rohe (Whanganui, Rangitīkei, Ruapehu, and South Taranaki).

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.

Climate change disproportionately affects Indigenous communities across the globe. In Aotearoa, Māori face these inequities while also holding deep-rooted knowledge systems that offer powerful, holistic responses to environmental transformation.

Project Summary

A new era is emerging in Aotearoa’s legal landscape—one where tikanga Māori is increasingly being recognised, tested, and applied within the state legal system. In 2021, Te Kōti Whenua Māori (the Māori Land Court) launched a tikanga-based dispute resolution process, offering an innovative pathway grounded in Māori legal principles.

Toiora, Hauora is a Kaupapa Māori arts-based collaboration that theorises the pedagogy of Māori creative practices, specifically focusing on how Māori arts can support flourishing Māori whānau wellbeing.

Motiti Marae and Tapuiwahine A12 whenua are full of unseen stories, rhythms, and vibrational energies. This research brought together cutting-edge sonic mapping and LiDar scanning technologies to explore the ecosystems and acoustic heritage of these ancestral lands. In partnership with local hapū, marae, and iwi, the project captured both the seen and the unheard — illuminating the mauri of the whenua and awa in powerful new ways.