Projects

Roma Simmons-Donaldson (Ngāti Porou, Taranaki, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kauwhata), University of Otago

The aim of this research is to investigate the re-establishment of intergenerational language transmission in Wellington whānau who have experienced language loss, by analysing the intersection between second language-speaking parents and their first language-speaking children.

The overarching research question I aim to address is: how do whānau who have experienced language loss reclaim their language and re-establish intergenerational language transmission in an urban environment?

The primary objectives of this research are to highlight critical factors that contribute to raising children to be bilingual in an urban setting, and present strategies that can inform and support whānau on similar journeys. The overarching purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the revitalisation of te reo Māori at the whānau level.

Luke Fitzmaurice (Te Aupōuri), Otago University

My research examines Māori perspectives on child protection, children's rights, and children's voices, including the perceived tension between the voices of children and the voices of whānau in the child protection context. The research addresses how appropriate the recent emphasis on children's voices within the child protection system might be from an Indigenous perspective, given the potential tension between the Western individualised view of children and the importance of whānau within a Māori worldview.

The question guiding my research is: "How should decisions about the safety and wellbeing of tamariki Māori be made, and what role should whānau and tamariki themselves play in that process?" My research seeks to answer this question from the perspectives of tamariki, whānau members, and kaimahi. This will help to illustrate Māori perspectives on children's rights, children's voices, and child protection, contrasting these perspectives with non-Māori perspectives that dominate the design and operation of the current child protection system.

Benjamin Hanara (Ngāti Kahungunu), University of Otago

Vicky Jane Nelson (Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Ruanui), University of Otago

Māori experience significant health inequities compared to non-Māori, and injury incidence and outcomes are no exception. Evidence from the Prospective Outcomes of Injury Study (POIS), a longitudinal cohort study of injured New Zealanders, demonstrates that a substantial proportion of Māori experience ongoing difficulties, adverse outcomes, and disability up to 24 months post-injury. However, there remains limited understanding of long-term outcomes beyond this timeframe, particularly from a strengths-based perspective.

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 colonising language, English, on te reo Māori. That would provide the impetus for language survival strategies in a language revitalisation endeavour.

In terms of this study, which incorporates sociological perspectives through an ethnolinguistic lens, it is closely related to the field of sociolinguistics which focuses on the effect of societal change on te reo Māori, the emphasis given in this study.

Sky Caitlyn Halford (Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, Rangitane o Wairarapa), University of Canterbury

Antidepressant medications are .frequently prescribed medications, with over 600,000 New Zealanders taking an antidepressant in 2019. Antidepressant compounds remain biologically active after passing through the body and are not removed in wastewater treatment. Exposure to antidepressant compounds has negative impacts on other species, including reduced fertility and escape responses, altered mating behaviours, and reduced camouflage. There is little information regarding the extent of antidepressant compounds entering the New Zealand environment through wastewater ejjl.uent and sludge, and the potential negative impacts on New Zealand native species.