Research Programme
Pae Auaha
-
Internship project
Tohe-Ora Wānanga Whenua Ngā Kīanga a Te Whakatōhea
This research supported Te Whakatōhea's vision of mana Māori motuhake through a focus on kai sovereignty and climate resilience. The intern gathered and analysed mōteatea recordings relating to kai, contributing to the iwi’s Tohe Ora Wānanga Whenua programme. The project informed efforts to reconnect whānau with their whenua and promote maara kai for… -
Doctoral Thesis
He whakapapa o ngā whare tikanga Māori me te uruhi ai i ngā ture mā i te Pākeha: A history of Māori building practises and imposed Pākehā building legislations
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. -
Matakitenga project
Indigenising movement: Building technology to fuel cultural vitality among rangatahi and whānau Māori in Aotearoa
Kapa haka provides a space for cultural expression, physical movement, and identity development. But how can technology be used to develop accessible kapa haka-informed physical movement resources that promote cultural identity development and overall wellbeing for rangatahi and whānau Māori? -
Matakitenga project
Weaving Māori Hearts in the Digital Wharenui: Nurturing Whakawhanaungatanga Through a Kaupapa Māori Social Media Platform - Tōku Whānau
The project will explore the research question: What would a kaupapa Māori based social media platform for Māori communities and whānau look and feel like? The research will involve engaging with a specific Māori community through wānanga/whakawhiti kōrero in order to ascertain the key elements required to develop it into a more Māori-specific and -friendly… -
Matakitenga project
Kauora ki te Ao
Kauora is a whānau-derived theory and practice of swimming, developed through Raureti’s doctoral research, that redefines how whānau engage in kaupapa wai. This project supports its implementation by developing a data sovereignty policy for Ngāti Kapu to guide the protection and long-term sustainability of mātauranga, reo and whānau data gathered through… -
Matakitenga project
What is Data Sovereignty in Triangulation with Māori Innovation and Western Intellectual Property Regimes? Of Registries, Reality and Rangatiratanga
The research project is analysing the WIPO’s proposal to develop databases of Indigenous Knowledge and genetic resources through a case study on mātauranga Māori innovations in papakāinga and assessing findings about novel mātauranga vis-à-vis existing and proposed domestic and international laws regarding data in registries. -
Matakitenga project
Mā te Taiaho Matawai kia Whakahura Ngā Korero o Nehe – Laser Beam Scanning Technologies for Unlocking Landscape Narratives
LiDAR technology offers unprecedented access to the whenua—capturing the contours of the landscape at fine detail and revealing wāhi tapu and heritage sites often lost under forest canopies or inaccessible locations. This research explores how hapū and iwi can utilise geospatial technologies like LiDAR to identify, connect-with, and enrich the management… -
Matakitenga project
Tohunga Talks: Digital Narratives of Tohunga that Nurture Multiliteracies of Ākonga
This project explores how digital narratives of tohunga can be curated to support and enrich the multiliteracies of ākonga, particularly in Te Tai Tokerau. At its heart, Tohunga Talks is a collaborative digital storytelling initiative grounded in Te Tai Tokerau mātauranga tuku iho, Kaupapa Māori research approaches, and the Mana Model. -
Matakitenga project
Te Taunaha i ngā Tapuwae ō mātou Tīpuna: Piloting the use of Traditional Knowledge (TK) Labels by Ngā Hapū o Waimārama for their Archaeological sites
Indigenous histories are held in archives—but often without the authority of the people they belong to. This project pilots the use of Traditional Knowledge (TK) Labels within ArchSite, Aotearoa’s national archaeological database, to return cultural control and visibility to Ngā Hapū o Waimarama. -
Internship project
Te reo Māori Smart Home Voice Assistant
The internship focused on developing an openHAB plugin that understood commands in te reo Māori for smart home systems. Supervised by Associate Professor Te Taka Keegan and others at the University of Waikato, the project enhanced the intern’s skills in software development and smart technology. The open-source plugin contributed to creating technology… -
Matakitenga project
Motiti Marae and Tapuiwahine A12 whenua landblocks: The seen and the unseen – Exploring whenua and waterways ecosystems through sonic mapping and LiDar scanning technologies.
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…