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Kaupapa · Projects 547
Awardee: Dr Reuben Collier (Ngāti Porou, Rereahu-Maniapoto), Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Nga Taonga Tuku Iho. He Rau Aroha: This book pays tribute to specific soldiers of the 28th Maori Battalion who gave their lives during the Battle of Cassino where they were killed in…
Te rere o te Pīwakawaka: Modelling a maramataka-guided, strengths-based, lived-experience ADHD framework through Kaupapa Māori creative practice
This project focussed on expanding the conceptual lens of ADHD, focusing on traditional Māori narratives such as pūrākau and whakataukī to understand the Māori experience of ADHD and create an accommodating framework.
Whare tangata ora: A whakapapa informed review of mātauranga Māori and literature
This internship was a literature review evaluating the available academic research pertaining to the role of wairua in whare tangata ora. It responds to the serious deficit of academic outputs in this area and contributes to the rationale on why it is needed.
Exploring neurodivergence and Māori wellbeing through Indigenous-informed technology
The internship project was about Māori understandings of neurodiversity and development of digital technologies.
He utu mō te kai: Exploring the economic benefits of kai sovereignty
This rapid review examined and contributed to the limited understanding of the economic benefits produced by kai sovereignty initiatives in Aotearoa through a te ao Māori lens and kaupapa Māori foundation.
Te mana o te reo Māori: analysing word choice in assessments written in Māori
The project forms part of the wider initiative Manaakitia Te Reo: How Do We Support Assessments in Te Reo Māori, which aims to improve how tertiary institutions support and mark work submitted in Māori.
Ko te hua o te rengarenga: he maumaharatanga - Supporting the archiving and analysis of Māori women’s leadership histories
This internship involved supporting the work of Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko i te Ora - the Māori Women’s Welfare League through research, transcription, and thematic analysis of interviews with wāhine Māori.
Hāpai te Hauora: Breathing your ancestors back into life
The focus of the project was to co-create and develop creative stories- pūrākau, that reflect the lived experiences of climate impacts from the perspective of rangatahi and whānau participants.
Ngā pou māreikura: mapping literature to wāhine Māori wellbeing and belonging
This project is a Māori-led research project that explores wāhine Māori experiences of health, connection, and belonging through a framework grounded in mātauranga wāhine and relationships with te taiao.
Matihiko whakairo Māori – carving Māori experiences with 3D digital technologies
The intern collaborated closely with leading technology providers and Dr Rory Clifford to explore how emerging digital tools—such as 3D modelling, carving simulations, and immersive environments—can deepen tamariki engagement with mātauraka Māori.
Examining tino rangatiratanga in post-Treaty settlement Aotearoa through the Matike Mai Reports
This project examined claims that the Waitangi Tribunal has exceeded its original mandate by engaging with contemporary issues. By analysing Tribunal reports across its full history, the research focused on how the Tribunal has operated in practice over time.
Pharmacist precepting for cultural safety of students at He Rau Kawakawa (School of Pharmacy)
This project investigated how cultural concepts are incorporated into pharmacist preceptorship practices, with an emphasis on how these practices are explicitly demonstrated and communicated to pharmacy students during placements, identify knowledge gaps and challenges relevant to pharmacist precepting.
Articulations of honourable kāwanatanga from submissions opposed to the defeated Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill 2025
This project involved listening to organisational submissions against the defeated Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill 2024 and analysing how submitters from different categories articulated what honourable kāwanatanga may look like, as opposed to focusing on what the Crown has done wrong.
Big Data Insights into Treaty Principles Bill Submissions
Project lead: Professor Waikaremoana Waitoki (Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Māhanga), The University of Waikato | Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato The ACT Party introduced the Treaty Principles Bill in 2024, proclaiming to protect everyone’s equal rights before the law. The Bill has sparked immense debates over the Crown’s attempt to rewrite the articles of te Tiriti o…
He taonga tuku iho: Multidisplinary and multitechnology approach to increase efficiencies in coastal kina ecosystem surveys within fisheries management.
Project lead: Dr Ani Kainamu Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research Across Te Tai-o-Araiteuru, mana whenua must dispute the controversial issue of ‘kina barrens’; a biased view that is used to increase commercial kina quota. Although mana whenua have intimate knowledge of their rohe moana, the current decision-making process…
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Dr Ani Kainamu
Dr Ani Kainamu
Maiea Te Mauri; Taiea Te Taiao: Connecting Indigenous Knowledge, Climate Change and Kōrero Tuku Iho for a Sustainable Future.
Project lead: Professor Tom Roa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato, Ngāti Apakura), The University of Waikato | Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato This project will document Māori-led responses to climate change through a Te Ao Māori (Māori worldview) lens, focusing on the connection between Māori communities and their ancestral whenua (land). Through wānanga (digital…
Kia Manawanui, Kia Manawaroa! Exploring what keeps Māori Midwives in Lead Maternity Care practice in Aotearoa.
Awardee: Waimarie Onekawa (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngāti Rongomaiwahine), Auckland University of Technology In Aotearoa, Lead Maternity Care (LMC) Midwives provide most healthcare services for pregnant people. LMCs provide on-call services 24/7 and face long, unpredictable workdays. They often sacrifice time with their whānau to maintain their work…
Te-Pō-Namunamu-ki-Taiao. He Kawa Ānamata: Designing New Realities Through Māori Interactive Media
Awardee: Morgana Vicki Watson (Taranaki, Te Atiawa, Te Atihaunui-a-Papaarangi, Ngāpuhi), University of Canterbury This research explores how Māori Futurism can be realised through interactive media, merging traditional Māori knowledge with futuristic storytelling and technology. The project investigates the transformative potential of Māori media, where Te…
He māhurehure nō Te Whare Tapu o Ngāpuhi
Awardee: Deacon Fisher (Ngāpuhi (Te Parawhau, Te Uriroroi, Te Māhurehure ki Whatitiri)), Massey University In recent years, pūrākau have been an area of research interest. This has primarily resulted in the emergence of pūrākau as a mode of therapeutic intervention. Despite this, pūrākau and their application within the social work profession are yet to be…
Experiences of Podiatry foot screening, for Māori with diabetes related amputations.
Awardee: Cynthia Otene (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa), Auckland University of Technology Māori have higher rates of diabetes Amputations than non-Māori. The Rangahau will utilise Kaupapa Māori methodology to explore experiences of Māori, who have had a lower limb amputation due to diabetes. The Rangahau uses wānanga to kōrero to participants about the experiences of…
Reframing Fidgeting Through a Māori Lens: Exploring ADHD, Brain Activity, and the Cultural Significance of Movement
Awardee: Uenukuterangihoka Jefferies (Ngāti Raukawa, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Ngāti Awa, Te Whakatōhea), University of Auckland This kaupapa Māori-informed study explores how fidgeting—small, repetitive movements often seen in people with wairangi ā-aronga (ADHD)—might be linked to patterns of brain activity and thinking. The research focuses on rangatahi and…
Restor(y)ing Taru Rauhea: An Ethnography of Māori and Cannabis in Aotearoa
Awardee: Mona-Lisa Wareka (Ngātiwai, Ngāti Rereahu), University of Waikato This research aims towards facilitating transformative change by investigating the impacts and experiences Māori face under current cannabis laws, while examining opinions surrounding potential decriminalisation. This project is significant as it is the first of its kind in Aotearoa…
Anthropomorphising Whakairo: Creating Living Realities through Augmenting Carvings
Awardee: Hamiora Te Momo (Ngāti Porou (Ngāti Konohi), Ngāti Raukawa (Ngāti Whakatere), University of Waikato This doctorial study in computer science explores the design and development of a culturally grounded mobile augmented reality (MAR) system where carvings on the marae can see, recognise, and respond to users through tikanga-led interaction. Using…
Tahatū-o-te-rangi: a study of the experiences and contributions of MAI Te Kupenga PhD scholars
Māori doctoral scholars often face significant challenges in universities dominated by Western academic traditions. These environments can clash with Māori cultural values and needs, reflecting colonial legacies that marginalise Indigenous knowledge and methodologies. To address these challenges, the Te Kupenga o MAI (MAI) programme was created in the late…
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Associate Professor Deborah Heke
Associate Professor Deborah Heke
Associate Professor Deborah Heke (Ngā Puhi, Te Arawa) is the Director of Ngā Wai a Te Tūī Māori and Indigenous Research Centre at Unitec. With a background in Exercise Physiology, Psychology, and Public Health, her current research centres on Mana Wahine scholarship. Recent work includes an exploration of Māori and Indigenous women’s embodied practices and physical activity in te taiao as a means for connecting, communicating, and healing. Deborah is also passionate about building the capability and capacity of Māori and Indigenous (future) scholars and providing spaces for Indigenous… -
Associate Professor Hinekura Smith
Associate Professor Hinekura Smith
Dr Hinekura Smith (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi) is NPM's Emerging Researchers’ Leader, providing further national leadership and coordination of MAI Te Kupenga and developing and nurturing initiatives that contribute to the outcomes and objectives of NPM’s Capability and Capacity Strategy.Hinekura was initially a secondary school te reo Māori teacher then moved into teacher education research almost 10 years ago, when she commenced her postgraduate studies. She has worked as a professional development facilitator in Māori medium schools, te reo Māori facilitator in English-medium schools and a… -
Dr Tim West-Newman
Dr Tim West-Newman
Tim West-Newman develops and implements technical business solutions including websites for Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga. Tim has a PhD in Human Computer Interaction and has worked mainly in web and information technology systems development, having worked in The University of Auckland and AUT University, as well as an independent contractor for various organisations. -
Associate Professor Lara Greaves
Associate Professor Lara Greaves
Lara Greaves (Ngāpuhi, Pākehā, Tararā) is an associate professor in politics at Victoria University of Wellington and a senior research fellow in statistics at the University of Auckland. She is a Royal Society of New Zealand Rutherford Discovery Fellow (2024-2029), investigating improvements to democracy and participation in New Zealand, particularly focusing on Māori and intersectionality. With colleague Dr Rituparna Roy, she co-leads a work package or EU-CIEMBLY, funded by Horizon Europe. The project seeks to make citizens' assemblies more inclusive, also focusing on intersectionality. She…