Research Programme
Pae Ora
-
Doctoral Thesis
‘Taiahahā, taiahahā - ko au ko koe, ko koe ko au…’ Exploring the Mokoia Taiaha Wānanga in relation to cultural reclamation, resilience and affirmation
The whakatauakī - 'Ko au ko koe, ko koe ko au,' stands as a determining principle behind the legacy created by Mita Hikairo Mohi and his teachings of the discipline of mautaiaha. Many from across the motu have attended these wānanga held on Mokoia Island. The intention of Aramoana’s research is to explore this legacy and its impact on Māori Male well-being… -
Doctoral Thesis
Pīkau i te Anamata: Re-imagining whānaucentric parenting practices in Aotearoa
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… -
Matakitenga project
Making Mōkihi: Kāi Tahu Learning and Care of Our Iwi and Gender Identities
Ahinata’s project engages with the experiences of wāhine and gender diverse Kāi Tahu, informed by iwi and gender specific contexts, in order to answer the question: How do we as wāhine and gender diverse Kāi Tahu learn about, become, and take care of ourselves, specifically in the areas of gender, sex, sexuality and body? -
Matakitenga project
Investigating the influence of socio-cultural-political pressures on Māori suicide: A comparison of known Māori suicides from 1840-1939 with those from 1940-2019
This project uses Kaupapa Māori theory to challenge the current dominant Western explanations for suicide, which fail to consider socio-cultural-political pressures and historical processes such as colonisation as core to Indigenous suicide. -
Matakitenga project
Te Ara Pokanga o te Kiri – Patient Experiences of Apronectomy for Excess Skin Removal following significant Weight Loss in Te Tairāwhiti
Underpinned by a Kaupapa Māori methodological stance, this project seeks to undertake research at the interface of mātauranga Māori and surgery to produce resources that will practically improve care for whānau who have an apronectomy. -
Matakitenga project
Whakarongo, titiro, korikori kōrero ki ngā wāhine – exploring embodied and reciprocal healing relationship with our natural environments
Māori (and Indigenous) women engage in embodied relationship with the natural environment in a range of ways, such as raranga, rongoā, or physical activity. This research explored what these embodied relationships can teach us about the potential for reciprocal healing between wahine and whenua, person and place, by developing a network of Māori and… -
Matakitenga project
Developing methodological approaches to tracking historical trauma
This kaupapa Māori project addresses one of the most devastating impacts of colonisation in Aotearoa – the forced institutionalisation of Māori children between 1950–1999. Drawing on the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry and leveraging large-scale data sets like the IDI, this study developed innovative methodologies to trace historical trauma and… -
Internship project
Exploring the long-term impact of COVID on the social, cultural, mental, and physical wellbeing of individuals, communities, and workplaces
This internship explored the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on wellbeing across communities and workplaces through an in-depth literature review. In collaboration with NPM and Methodist Mission Northern, the intern gained research and community engagement experience to inform future kaupapa. -
Internship project
eHealth initiatives in surgery: Cultural co-design of a general surgical patient-centred App
This project supported the co-development of eHealth tools in surgery that reflected Māori cultural values and health perspectives. The intern reviewed pre- and post-operative practices to identify opportunities for culturally responsive design and improved communication with Māori patients.