Projects

This summer internship was organised by Dr. Te Taka Keegan to be a Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Named Internship supervised by Dr. Kim Pickering at The University of Waikato. The project was called “He Tohu Maumahara ki a Paora Mato” and involved the creation of a 3D printed Tekoteko with a harakeke based biodegradable filament for a trophy in memory of Paora Mato, a staff member at The University of Waikato who unfortunately passed away last year in June.

A new report from Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM) and Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research provides guidance for Te Ao Māori on climate change adaptation and mitigation. He huringa āhuarangi, he huringa ao: a changing climate, a changing world was produced by a multidisciplinary Māori research team working across many research institutions.

PhD Candidate: Hannah Rapata (Kāi Tahu)

Primary Supervisors: Associate Professor Donna Cormack

This research is focused on “Te Kai Ora a Kāi Tahu” and will use kaupapa Māori qualitative methods to explore opportunities to strengthen connections between Kāi Tahu whenua, peoples, and waters.

The centrality of mahika kai to Kāi Tahu identity will be explored with regards to the future of Kāi Tahu whānau and hapori control over kai sources, kai systems and kai practices for kai ora.

PhD Candidate: Waratah Mihiwira Taogaga (Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi, Barkindji (NSW), Ngāti Hāmoa.)

Primary Supervisor(s):

This project asks whether there are lessons to be had found in both the Māori Covid-19 response to date and the growing body of evidence that papakāinga living has benefits beyond the physical home that could inform a wider response to prepare whānau for current and future infectious disease threats and ultimately support ongoing socio-cultural connection and thus everyday good mental health?

‘Ubiquitous Maths Learning Made Easy for Rangatahi and Adult Learners. (Especially if we are in lockdown!)’

Adults and rangatahi often come to maths learning with an already formed (negative) mathematics learning identity. Rangatahi know that for certain future goals they will need to “have” mathematics as part of their knowledge “suite”.

Western views on disability & underfunding of Indigenous health marginalises kāpō Māori. New research aims to change this & centre kāpō Māori lifeworlds

Often Kaumātua and elders generally, are seen as vulnerable and passive recipients of services throughout the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic. However, in the village of Ohinemutu and as citizens of their iwi Ngāti Whakaue, Kaumātua have been active leaders in the response of the village, initially during the first four-week lockdown in 2020. However, that leadership was a continuation of their ongoing active participation in village activities.

Hoki atu ki tōu maunga kia purea ai e koe ki ngā hau o Tāwhirimātea – Return to your mountain to be cleansed by the winds of Tāwhirimātea

Māori are facing many challenges in their work experiences, especially during Covid-19. This research seeks to understand the unique cultural strategies that employees engage in that make these challenges more bearable.

Over the past 60 years, the water quality has declined in many large NZ lakes, including Rotorua, Pupuke, Rotoehu, Rotoiti, Tutira and Horowhenua in the North Island, and Lakes Ellesmere (Te Waihora) and Forsyth (Wairewa) in the South Island (Rowe 2004). All of these lakes are important taonga to tangata whenua, and have served as pataka kai for many generations. These lakes have become turbid and are periodically affected by harmful algal blooms.

This study will explore how comparative views of “home” relate to concepts such as identity, whakapapa, and hauora and how these concepts thereby impact service utilisation and uptake in two areas (one rural and one urban). The research seeks to ask

How do urban and rural Māori conceptualise “home” and do these ideas of home differ across generations?
Do perceptions of home affect decisions to access services (education, health, financial, etc.?). If so, how?
How can services be improved to incorporate these views / perceptions of home?

Research on the impact of COVID-19 on Māori tends to highlight its negative outcomes. This strengths-based research project examines improvements in Māori wellbeing that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

New research analyses the mental, relational, psychological, and spiritual wellbeing of over 3000 Māori during and post-lockdown through Te Rangahau o Te Tuakiri Māori me Ngā Waiaro ā-Pūtea | The Māori Identity and Financial Attitudes Study (MIFAS).

We have identified a set of questions relating to Māori restorative justice in the Aotearoa Justice system and its effectiveness for Māori:

What are the barriers Māori face when they participate in restorative justice as it stands?
What can we learn from the traditional ways of resolving conflict that could minimise these barriers?

What unique Human Resource Management (HRM) practices are offered in Aotearoa workplaces that directly engage in a positive way with Māori employees? 
What do these look like? How are the perceived (and received) by Maori and non-Māori employees? Do they positively shape attitudes as we might expect - and if not, why not? What are the barriers and drivers behind them? 

This research report has been titled Rākau-nui as an acknowledgement to the full moon phase in the Maramataka (Māori lunar calendar). Rākau-nui also represents the collected journey to which this full report has been constructed from. The Maramataka is
a repository of ancient and traditional knowledge orally handed down throughout the generations by our forebears to ensure the sustainability of a healthy environment and thus healthy people (Tawhai, 2013).

The Maramataka is a system of phases which allow Māori to construct ways to interact with the environment.

This report has been prepared for Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga as part of the summer internship programme 2018-2019. This project is titled Tangaroa Ara Rau: Whānau connections and Water Safety with a purpose to understand unique whānau connections to water and its benefit for water safety.

Throughout the summer of 2018 Terina Raureti (Ngāti Raukawa) was given the opportunity to work alongside the waka club Hauteruruku ki Puketeraki and their Tūmai Ora initiative which focused on engaging rangatahi with their pepeha through waka.