Research Programme
Pae Ora
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Internship project
He mauri tō te tamaiti: Ākonga Māori motivation in education
This internship explored what motivates Ngāpuhi Year 5/6 students to succeed, revealing diverse expressions of success grounded in whanaungatanga and wellbeing. Supervised by Professor Melinda Webber, the project highlights the importance of fostering connection and rangatiratanga in education. -
Internship project
Traditional understandings of wāhine Māori, their roles, and maintenance of their safety: Kaumātua and kuia perspectives
This internship applied kaupapa Māori methodology and Mana Wāhine theory to analyse interview data from the E Tū Wāhine, E Tū Whānau project. Working with leading researchers, the intern explored culturally grounded ways to support wāhine and whānau wellbeing, while challenging harmful stereotypes around Māori women and domestic violence. -
Internship project
Flourishing Wāhine Māori Identities in Women’s Rugby
This internship explored the wellbeing and identity of wāhine Māori in rugby, highlighting barriers and opportunities through a systematic literature review. The project offers insights to better support wāhine Māori in sport and beyond, with findings submitted for publication. -
Internship project
A kaupapa Māori literature review of cannabis and methamphetamine use experiences of Māori
This Kaupapa Māori literature review examined how cannabis and methamphetamine use is discussed in Aotearoa, with a focus on Māori experiences and implications for health and justice responses. The research, part of a wider postdoctoral project, informed a journal article. -
Internship project
Health systems and decolonisation: Preliminary activities to understand health system perspectives
This internship supported the design of a survey to capture health system perspectives on decolonisation in Aotearoa. Working within a Kaupapa Māori research team, the intern contributed to stakeholder engagement and survey development—laying the groundwork for future research into how decolonisation is understood and actioned across the health sector. -
Internship project
Tihei Mauriora, Tihei Mana Motuhake: Breathing mauri and mana motuhake into the lives of rangatahi Māori who offend and their whānau with lived experience of trauma
This internship project explored how trauma affects Māori youth who offend, and their whānau, aiming to inform more responsive youth justice policy. Through a systematic literature review and development of a policy brief, the research examined how lived experiences and Māori approaches to trauma can shape more effective, whānau-centred legal responses. -
Research Programme
Promising Futures Te Kawau Mārō: The Lifeworlds of highly qualified Māori - a cohort study of Māori PhD students and graduates
This nationwide research programme set out to deepen our understanding of the experiences, challenges, and contributions of Māori PhD graduates across Aotearoa. By tracing the post-graduation journeys of nearly 800 Māori doctoral scholars, the study aimed to highlight their intellectual, cultural, social and economic impact—within whānau, hapū, iwi and… -
Research Programme
Toitū he Kāinga: Healthy Environmental Relationships in Urban Settings
Reimagining our cities through Indigenous knowledge, identity, and environmental care. Today, over 85% of Māori live in urban environments across Aotearoa. These modern kāinga (settlements) are more than places to live—they’re reflections of identity, connection to whenua, and intergenerational ingenuity. Yet, many Māori have been relegated to the margins… -
Research Programme
Research to Interrupt Racism and (In)equity (RIRI)
This research programme dives beneath the surface to expose how efforts to address racism in Aotearoa can be symbolic, sidelining Māori worldviews and limiting true transformation. Led through a kaupapa Māori lens, this programme challenges narrow, imported definitions of racism and equity, and confronts how dominant systems create and maintain Māori… -
Matakitenga project
Examining the contribution of mātauranga Māori to climate health in Aotearoa
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.