Doctoral thesis

Savannah’s research aims to compile mātauranga of whare tikanga (Māori building practises) to understand the processes and practices involved in customary whare Māori (Māori buildings) construction.

The research considers our whanaungatanga relationships and whakapapa connections to ngā rākau and ngāhere. This has led to the creation of a plant-based 16mm film developer, replacing the environmentally damaging Kodak D-76 chemicals.

Arianna’s project demonstrates that connecting to the practice of pīkau where our tipuna carried their babies on their backs provides an active place to reclaim the strengths of our earliest parenting traditions as a metaphor for flourishing whānau. Through the metaphorical values framework and practice of pikau, Arianna’s research follows the collective…

This project explores the barriers Māori whānau face in accessing disability funding through New Zealand’s Needs Assessment and Coordination system. Combining a literature review with interviews of whānau and Kaupapa Māori providers, the research aims to build strong relationships and develop a Kaupapa Māori equity-based tool. Ultimately, this will support…

This research draws on mōteatea, whakataukī, and insights from Māori experts to illuminate the ethical foundations of Kaupapa Māori methodologies. By mapping these principles against Western theories, it guides culturally safe approaches for intergenerational trauma and Indigenous health research.

Hana Mereraiha Skerrett-White ( Ngā Tahu, Ngāti Pikiao, Tainui, Taranaki), University of Canterbury The sociology of te reo Māori is the study of the relations between te reo Māori and Māori society, Māori values, Māori worldviews, Māori knowledge and Māori identities. In those terms, the object of this study would be Māori society and the impact of a…

Te Piere Warahi (Ng>āti Maniapoto), The University of Auckland My thesis addresses the question: What is the value of care to the carers? To achieve this objective, I interviewed thirteen participants from the Whangarei area, Auckland city and Hamilton city. I focus specifically on the care experience. Using a 'hindsight and humour' lens, I reveal the…

Essie Van Zuylen (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu), University of OtagoThe purpose of this PhD project is to identify and characterise new drugs which are effective against obligate anaerobic pathogens. Our research is focused on three bacterial pathogens: Fusobacterium nucleatum, Fusobacterium necrophorum, and Clostridiodes difficile. Fusobacterium spp. are…

Hannah van Wilsem vos (Ngāi Tahu), Universtiy of WaikatoThe purpose of this thesis is to explore how the right of indigenous women to live free from violence could be more effectively realised by taking a gendered approach to the right of indigenous peoples to self-determination. Within the context of Aotearoa New Zealand, this is a poignant issue given…

Jenni Tupu (Ngāpuhi, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Hine, Sāmoa), University of OtagoThis research considers the identity journeys of Māori who were adopted during the closed adoption period 1955-1985 in Aotearoa. This work considers their quests in seeking identity as Māori, having been raised by non-Māori. Included are the stories of tamariki and mokopuna, where the…

Kahurangi, Tipene (Waikato Tainui), University of Otago I raro i ngaa parirau o te whakatakanga Marsden o Associate Professor Karyn Paringatai, he aronga taaku ki te titiro atu ki ngaa takahanga, ki ngaa wheako whaiaro o ngaa whaanau e mau nei ana i te taonga CDH1 gene mutation i mua i te aroaro o taatou te tangata, oo ngaa kaiwhakahaere hauora. Tee mahi o…

Michael Taiapa (Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi), Waikato University Since the 1950s, the advancements in second language acquisition and grammar theories in English language studies has had a profound impact on its own description that has made it less syntactically-driven and more communicatively-oriented. This has the potential to influence language description…