Pātai Te Ao Māori

This summer internship project researched how Auckland Museum could support Tiaki Taonga through museum practices, using Āta Tiaki Taonga Tuku Iho as an example framework.

We, the delegates of the International Indigenous Climate Change Summit (IICCRS), gathered from November 13th to 17th, 2023, recognize the profound climate crisis facing our world and its dire consequences for Indigenous peoples, our lands, and the global ecosystem. This communiqué is an urgent message intended for world leaders, policymakers, environmental…

Māori have a long history of storytelling, which remains a central aspect of te ao Māori and a space for rangatiratanga. This is true of contemporary art forms, though little research has been conducted into adapting literature to screen. Briar’s research seeks to fill this gap by researching the influence of oral narrative forms on Māori literature and how…

This project created “Te Proton Poi” — a waiata integrating mātauranga Māori with quantum physics to support community engagement with advanced health technologies. Inspired by MRI concepts and kapa haka, the project highlights how culturally grounded approaches can bridge science and te ao Māori to empower whānau.

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.

This project explores how mātauranga Māori can strengthen climate change responses in Aotearoa. By analysing policy and interviewing experts working in te taiao initiatives, the research aims to identify how government approaches support—or limit—Māori-led action. The findings aim to enhance Māori decision-making and climate health outcomes through…

Hineitimoana’s research is a critical biography of her grandmother, Tuaiwa (Eva) Rickard, a Tainui Ngāti Koata woman known for her influential role in the Māori land rights movement of the 1970s.

This internship explored how tikanga Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi are transforming Aotearoa’s legal landscape through case law and legislation. Guided by Associate Professor Linda Te Aho, interns gained hands-on research experience and contributed to a wider kaupapa on iwi-led legal and historical narratives.

Through the 2022/2023 Borrin Foundation – Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Legal Research Internship, two Māori students explored the growing recognition of tikanga Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi within New Zealand law and policy. Guided by Associate Professor Linda Te Aho and Te Hunga Rōia Māori, the interns delved into case law, legislation, and iwi knowledge to…

Bridging marine science and Mātauranga Māori, this internship helped develop learning resources for Cawthron Institute’s aquaculture and freshwater programmes—strengthening research through Indigenous knowledge.

This project explored Māori experiences of grief and mourning by reviewing existing literature to identify key insights and gaps. The findings will support the development of a culturally grounded model of grief, informed by mātauranga Māori and guided by experts in tangihanga and bereavement.

This internship explored Te Atiawa knowledge, perspectives, and values to help develop a research model grounded in Te Atiawa mātauranga. Drawing on lived experience and community connections, the project supports efforts to strengthen spiritual, emotional, and physical ties between Te Atiawa and their Tupuna Mounga, Taranaki.