Kaupapa · Projects 470
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…
Te kāhui kūaka: he tupuna, he taonga, he tohu
Project lead: Dr Vincent van Uitregt (Ngaa Rauru, Te Ātihaunui a Pāpārangi, Tūhoe), Victoria University of Wellington | Te Herenga Waka Climate change related research is preoccupied with the impacts on human life and futures. The immanent impacts on our non-human relations are relegated to ecological or conservation research Our uri-based research group…
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…
Evaluating and Enhancing the Kimi Ora Diabetes Programme through AI-Driven Innovation
Project lead: Dr Te Wai Barbarich-Unasa Ngāti Paoa, Waikato, Ngāti Maniapoto AUT University | Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau Type 2 diabetes continues to be a major health challenge for Māori, who are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed and face more severe and life-threatening complications than non-Māori (Holder-Pearson & Chase, 2022). Despite…
Exploring Mātauranga Māori in sustainability-related disclosures in Aotearoa business entities
Project lead: Dr Riri Ellis Ngati Raukawa, Ngai Te Rangi, Ngati Tahu The University of Waikato | Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato Sustainability disclosures are central to the ongoing global debate about accountability in sustainable business practices. However, their voluntary and unregulated nature, along with inconsistent definitions, standardised titles…
He Mahinga-Ora ki te Tairāwhiti: 'Ki te whai-ao, ki te ao-mārama'
Project lead: Dr Mahonri Owen (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), The University of Waikato | Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato Additive manufacturing technology (3D printing) can be used to accelerate the design/development process, reduce material waste, minimise cost and create personalised solutions for challenges faced in industry. 3D printing is often used in…
He Mahinga-Ora ki te Tairāwhiti: 'Ki te whai-ao, ki te ao-mārama'
Project lead: Mr Kāhui Iles (Ngāti Porou), Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi This project explores future sustainable economic developments in Te Tairāwhiti, specifically within Te Rohe Pōtae o Ngāti Porou. Historically dominated by farming, the region now faces environmental challenges such as climate change, erosion, and biodiversity loss.
Kaitiakitanga: On the Philosophical Foundations of Indigenous Climate Activism in Aotearoa
Project lead: Associate Professor Krushil Watene (Ngāti Manu, Te Hikutu, Ngāti Whātua ō Orākei, Tonga) The University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau (Host) Recognising the value and interconnectedness of human and non-human life, climate activism is directed toward the protection of our biosphere and natural environment as a whole. In Aotearoa, such…
Mā te mōhio ka mārama: Understanding the primary care data and digital landscape to support hauora Māori and Māori health equity in Aotearoa
Project lead: Dr Karen Wright Kāi Tahu The University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau (Host) Māori in Aotearoa experience large and persistent differences in health outcomes compared to non-Māori in nearly all health conditions. While causation of these unfair and unjust differences is understandably complex, differential access to health care services…
He Whawhai Hou – A New Struggle: Aotearoa Perspectives on Mass Incarceration
Project lead: Dr. Emmy Rākete Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa The University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau (Host) In the last four decades, New Zealand has begun imprisoning on a scale never seen before in this land’s history. Māori people have consistently made up at least half of the prison population, and Māori communities are among those that have experienced…
Mana Ngahere: The Past, Present, and Future of Māori Forestry
Project lead: Professor Carla Houkamau Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu The University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau (Host) This research project partners Waipapa Taumata Rau (University of Auckland) with Ngā Pou a Tāne (National Māori Forestry Association) to address a critical paradox: while Māori own approximately 48% of commercial forest land…
Scoping Kaupapa Māori Grounding for ADHD Research Among Māori Adults
Project lead: Associate Professor Byron Rangiwai (Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Whare, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Porou), Unitec Institute of Technology | Te Whare Wānanga o Wairaka This foundational phase of He Ara Mārama establishes the kaupapa, relationships, and credibility required to guide a multi-phase research programme focused on ADHD in Māori adulthood. ADHD remains…
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…
Ngā Pou Māreikura – Virtual pillars as building blocks for engagement.
Awardee: Deborah Heke (Nga Puhi. Te Arawa), Unitec Funding from this Grant will contribute to activities that support the dissemination, engagement, and impact of research and creative outputs, specifically: the creation and development of a prototype augmented reality (AR) experience exhibition that shares Māori research and narratives through immersive…
Kai, Race, Data, and Identity: Sharing Insights from Doctoral Research
Awardee: Hannah Rapata (Ngāi Tahu), Te Wānanga o Aotearoa The NPM Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant supports Māori researchers to achieve impact and transformational research outcomes and knowledge sharing pathways that harness connectedness with research partners and communities; and shares and promotes research uptake and impact. The award is…
Tikanga and the State - Selected Papers of Sir E. Taihākurei Durie.
Awardee: Linda Te Aho (Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Waikato-Tainui), University of Waikato The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Tikanga and the State - Selected Papers of Sir E. Taihākurei Durie. This collection brings together published and unpublished papers by Tā E. Taihākurei Durie, organised around the theme of…
Creating digital assets and illustrations for whānau who have pēpi in the neonatal unit
Awardee: Lisa Jean Kremer, University of Otago The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Creating digital assets and illustrations for whānau who have pēpi in the neonatal unit. In the neonatal intensive care setting, whānau receive a significant amount of written and verbal information about multiple procedures…
Pātaka Wā: storehouse for time.
Awardee: Tia Barrett (Ngāi Tahu, Waikato, Ngāti Maniapoto), Auckland University of Technology The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Pātaka Wā: storehouse for time. The recipient is a lecturer in Visual Arts, a lens-based artist, and a PhD candidate at Auckland University of Technology. Their doctoral research…
Ngā Au o Te Awaroa: Podcast Project Celebrating Māori Philosophy, Creativity, and Community.
Awardee: Kirsty Dunn (Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa), University of Canterbury The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Ngā Au o Te Awaroa: Podcast Project Celebrating Māori Philosophy, Creativity, and Community. This three-part podcast project aims to share research undertaken within Aotahi: School of Māori and Indigenous…
Ngāti Kuia: He Pūtake, Hei Pakiaka Ora | A History. The first book focused on the history and identity of Ngāti Kuia.
Awardee: Madi Williams (Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Koata, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō, Rangitāne o Wairau), University of Canterbury The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Ngāti Kuia: He Pūtake, Hei Pakiaka Ora | A History. The first book focused on the history and identity of Ngāti Kuia. Ngāti Kuia is an iwi from Te…
Te Rito o te Harakeke: Collective Resilience and Relational Research with Whānau Māori.
Awardee: Anna Adcock (Ngati Mutunga), Victoria University of Wellington The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Te Rito o te Harakeke: Collective Resilience and Relational Research with Whānau Māori. This project supports the dissemination of doctoral research through presentation at the Indigenous Futures Unbound…
Kia kārohirohi te wairua: Empowering rangatahi Māori and their whānau to understand, nurture, and practise wairuatanga to support wellbeing.
Awardee: Alan Haenga O'Brien (Ngāti Porou), Massey University The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Kia kārohirohi te wairua: Empowering rangatahi Māori and their whānau to understand, nurture, and practise wairuatanga to support wellbeing.
Lalanga e Ako’ae Māori and Pacific – Weaving together the learnings of Māori and Pacific ECR knowledge holders.
Awardee: Alehandrea Raiha Manuel (Ngāti Porou), The University of Auckland The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Lalanga e Ako’ae Māori and Pacific – Weaving together the learnings of Māori and Pacific ECR knowledge holders.
Māori nurse practitioners: Kaupapa Māori workforce development realising equity.
Awardee: Josephine Davis (Ngā Puhi me Ngāti Whatua Orakei), The University of Auckland The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Māori nurse practitioners: Kaupapa Māori workforce development realising equity. The Māori nurse practitioner (NP) workforce can transform health outcomes for whānau Māori and local hapori…
Te Waharoa Hīnātore.
Awardee: Dan Hikuroa (Tainui, Ngati Maniapoto, Te Arawa), University of Auckland The Awardee will undertake the Whakaaweawe Impact and Transformation Grant titled Te Waharoa Hīnātore. Light has always carried meaning. Hīnātore, the soft glow found against Ranginui’s chest, in te moana whitiwhiti a Tangaroa, and sheltered within te wao nui a Tane, connects…
Nga Taonga Tuku Iho
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…
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…
A Timeless Approach to Mental Wellbeing: Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Oranga and Te Taiao
Awardee: Leticia Joesphine Ngoi Vizor (Leticia Joesphine Ngoi Vizor), The University of Auckland This research explores how Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei (NWŌ) whānau understand, experience, and sustain collective oranga and mental wellbeing, with the overarching aim of developing a culturally grounded iwi-led mental health strategy. The project emerged from the NWŌ…
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…
Kia tōnui te reo Māori – Prosperous whānau, prosperous reo Māori
Kia tōnui te reo Māori: Prosperous whānau, prosperous reo Māori, examines the conditions that support the growth, use, and intergenerational transmission of te reo Māori across whānau and communities in Aotearoa. The project focuses on four interconnected areas: te reo o te kāinga-Māori language use in the home, the role of social and community…
Activating Māori Research Data Sovereignty in universities
Universities in Aotearoa hold a vast, largely unmapped, collection of Māori data. With that, these institutions are in positions of power to control the ways in which Māori data is collected, stored, accessed and used, often without meaningful involvement from Māori communities. Organised across three objectives, this project explores how Māori data…
Ngā whenu haumaru hei raranga: Social Wellbeing
Since the arrival of visitors to Aotearoa, Māori have always been quick to assess and adapt language, technology and information. Contemporary society brings new languages, technology and information instantly to our fingertips. New pressures and demands can be a consequence of readily accessible knowledge. For all its advances, there are also…
Māori Perinatal Mental Health Resource
This research, grounded in Kaupapa Māori and mana wāhine methodologies, explores the experiences of Māori mothers and whānau during the perinatal period. It highlights the expertise of Māori birthing parents and identifies strengths and solutions to address inequities in perinatal mental health care.A publicly accessible resource was developed to share…
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.
He oranga whānau: mahi ngātahi whānau livelihoods within the context of work and Māori economies of wellbeing
This internship developed a visual identity for Te Ahunga atu ki ngā Ōanga Oranga Māori: Towards Māori Wellbeing Economies, bringing Māori wellbeing economies to life through design. The work supports whānau aspirations by communicating key research in ways grounded in Te Ao Māori.
Te Pītau Whakarei Karahipi Scholarship - Seagrass Restoration
This project advanced seagrass restoration in Aotearoa by building on new evidence that Zostera muelleri produces viable seeds, enabling less invasive restoration methods. It supports large-scale recovery of these vital coastal ecosystems without harming existing seagrass meadows.
The Legitimacy of Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Under International Law: Case Studies from the Americas
This internship examined how the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has influenced domestic law reforms, drawing lessons from Canada, Belize, and beyond. It explored strategies for Indigenous peoples and civil society to advance rights within national and international legal frameworks.
Explore the historical context of Lake Karapiro to support Māori holistic wellbeing
This internship explored Lake Karāpiro’s cultural narratives to support Māori holistic wellbeing and challenge colonial environmental views. Using indigenous frameworks, the project contributed to decolonising health approaches and enriched understanding of environment–wellbeing connections.
Tūrou Hawaiki: Morning karakia and waiata as a culturally responsive pedagogy
This internship explored the wellbeing benefits of daily karakia and waiata at the University of Canterbury, highlighting their role in fostering cultural connection and belonging. Using a braided rivers methodology, the project captured staff and student experiences of these powerful tikanga Māori practices.
Ko wai tō ingoa? Healing from language trauma by renaming and reclaiming ourselves using te reo Māori
This te reo Māori publication shares powerful naming narratives from reo champions who reclaim Māori names as part of their language journeys. Through these stories written entirely in te reo it celebrates identity, resistance, and reo revitalisation, and includes teaching resources for kura kaupapa and wharekura.
Wānanga Rau, Taumata Rau, Pukenga Rau
Project SummaryThis project, Wānanga Rau, Taumata Rau, Pukenga Rau, aims to provide an innovative conceptual toolkit and resources for the Māori Performing Arts community in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The resources will be collated in a series of publications, including one monograph manuscript and two to three short-form thought pieces on specific aspects of…
Ngā Pōito i te kupenga o Toi te Huatahi The Netfloats in the Ocean of Toi te Huatahi
Project SummaryThis creative-led project focuses on four sites: Poor Knights, Hen and Chicks, Little and Great Barrier Island. The islands’ isolation led to their designation as sanctuaries, a Western conservation approach that separates nature from humans. As a result the Crown took control of each site. This separation disconnected Ngātiwai from our lands…
Pukapuka Hanganga Reo Matatini: Ngā Kōrero o Te Aitanga a Mahaki Iwi
Pukapuka Hanganga Reo Matatini brings treasured pūrākau of Te Aitanga a Māhaki to life through structured literacy children’s books that support neurodiverse tamariki to learn te reo Māori while connecting with their whakapapa and iwi.
Reflecting on 50 Years of the Waitangi Tribunal
In 2025, the Waitangi Tribunal marks 50 years since its founding. This new collection, edited by Carwyn Jones and Maria Bargh, will bring together Māori scholars to reflect on the Tribunal’s impactful work across key issues like whenua, awa, taonga, and rangatiratanga. It will highlight the enduring significance of Tribunal findings for Māori communities…
He tumu herenga waka: Māori mothers navigating the never-ending beginnings of whakapapa
Project SummaryThe project builds on a case study, “Ko te whaea te takere o te waka: Māori mothers as navigators of change,” which examined Māori mothers as key change-makers for their whānau. The study produced a zine highlighting Māori participants’ stories of reclaiming mātauranga Māori for their tamariki/mokopuna. A key finding was the connection…
Tairāwhiti Waka, Tairāwhiti Tāngata: Exploring Tairāwhiti Voyaging Philosophies
Project SummaryThis project translates the findings of lead researcher Dr Ngahuia Mita’s doctoral research Tairāwhiti Waka, Tairāwhiti Tāngata; Examining Tairāwhiti Voyaging Philosophies into practical printed and digital resources, to be shared with tamariki, rangatahi and whānau across Te Tairāwhiti and Aotearoa. The research is important as it provides a…
Toitū te Hakapupu: Restoration of the Pleasant River – a documentary journey
Project SummaryThis project is part of a ‘circular economy’ research project based on a Jobs for Nature’ [J4N] river restoration programme, Toitū te Hakapupu, being undertaken by Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki (Puketeraki) in East Otago. A CE aims to optimize circular material flows to reduce resource consumption and environmental impacts and is said to…
Whakakahangahia te Rangatahi wāhine ki te Waka Ama - Empowering Young Women in Waka Ama
This research explored how participation in Waka Ama supports the wellbeing of young Māori women. Grounded in Kaupapa Māori, it examined how the sport strengthens cultural identity, promotes health and fitness, and builds leadership and resilience—supporting their flourishing as rangatahi Māori and contributing to the celebration and preservation of…
Whanake te kura i Tawhitinui – Building resilience within Māori communities
This research explores how mātauranga Māori enriches natural hazard resilience in Aotearoa by integrating Indigenous knowledge with science. It highlights Māori-led solutions that strengthen cultural identity, wellbeing, and community response to disasters. The resulting publication will be accessible and visually engaging, showcasing collaborative research…
Māmā aroha: Implementing recommendations of a research project to update and enhance the first free Indigenous digital breastfeeding resource to improve support for whānau
Māmā Aroha, the first Indigenous breastfeeding app, is being updated and enhanced to better support Māori whānau. Grounded in a Kaupapa Māori approach, this project explores how digital tools can uphold the whakapapa of waiū and strengthen intergenerational knowledge around breastfeeding.
He Tohu Āhuarangi: Climate Change Signs between Antarctica and Aotearoa
This project explored how the Māori concept of tohu—environmental signs—could inform Antarctic research and stewardship. By weaving te ao Māori into international climate science, the research supported Indigenous-led approaches to recognising and responding to signs of change in Antarctica.
The State of Māori Rights, 2nd Edition
The second edition of The State of Māori Rights gathers Māori perspectives on key events and issues that have shaped our lives over the past thirty years. Scheduled for publication in 2025, it is a major revision and update of the 2011 first edition, which continues to be widely used in university courses.The book draws on kōrero from hui Māori held around…
He Kahu Kōrero – Cloaks that speak
He Kahu Kōrero – Cloaks that Speak will be an accessible scholarly book celebrating the art of whatu kākahu and the transformative journeys of six Māori women and their whānau.
Commissioning a musical score and accompanying actions to a poi-waiata (called “Te Proton Poi”)
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.
He hakune rangahau o Te Atiawa: What could a Te Atiawa research model and methodology look like?
This internship examined publicly available sources to build a research report on Te Atiawa knowledge, perspectives, and values, aiming to develop a research model grounded in Te Atiawa mātauranga. The project informed the first phase of a Master’s thesis supporting Te Atiawa and their hapū to strengthen connections with their Tupuna Mounga, Taranaki.
The Treaty of Waitangi and its principles – an analysis of select Waitangi Tribunal jurisprudence
This internship project aimed to make key Waitangi Tribunal jurisprudence more accessible to public sector policy-makers. By reviewing Tribunal reports, the research focused on how the Tribunal identifies and balances competing interests. The result is practical guidance to help decision-makers apply Treaty principles thoughtfully and transparently in…
Tikanga and Te Tiriti –transforming law and policy in Aotearoa
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.
E hoa, e hoariri rānei? How will Corbicula Fluminea affect Te Mauri o Waiwaiā?
This project examined the impact of the invasive freshwater gold clam on the mauri of Waiwaia and taonga species in the Waipā River. It assessed the species' role from a Te Ao Māori perspective and proposed culturally grounded responses for environmental protection.
Māori Pharmacists: Staying, going, or gone?
Why do Māori pharmacists stay—or leave—the profession? This project explored the career experiences of Māori pharmacists, using surveys and literature to uncover the key factors influencing their decisions. The findings will help shape a more supportive and sustainable future for Māori in pharmacy.
Māori whānau mental health and addiction journeys
How do Māori experience and navigate cannabis and methamphetamine use in their lives and communities? This kaupapa Māori project internship centred whānau voices to better understand the challenges and solutions from within – aiming to shift the narrative from criminalisation to healing and wellbeing.
INFORMING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MATAURANGA MAORI MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH TOOL
How do whānau define and experience quality engagement from health services? This internship included a Kaupapa Māori-informed literature review to inform development of a maternal mental health tool.
Borrin Internship: Supporting the build of a research and teaching repository for the Indigenisation of the LLB
InternOcean Bartlett, Ngati Porou, Ngāpuhi, University of CanterburySupervisorAdrienne Paul, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of CanterburyThe internship is provided as part of the prestigious NPM Borrin Foundation Legal Research Internship award.OverviewThe project team is leading the indigenisation of the LLB at the University of Canterbury. This…
Tihei Mauri Ora, Tihei Mana Motuhake: Investigating how trauma impacts rangatahi Māori who offend and their whānau engaged with the youth justice system
This internship project focussed on analysing data to address two questions 1. How does trauma impact Māori youth who offend, and their whānau, and 2. how can their lived experiences and Māori approaches to Trauma Informed Care shape law and policy related to youth justice to foster whānau flourishing?
Effective Co-Governance of Natural Disasters
This project investigated the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle on Māori and wider communities in Hawke’s Bay, highlighting the delayed government response. It explored how co-governance between Māori and local authorities could improve disaster preparedness and recovery planning.
Raw material identification of toki in the Auckland War Memorial Museum archaeology collection
This internship uncovered the hidden stories of 2,000 toki from Auckland Museum’s collection, combining archaeology and mātauranga Māori to trace their stone origins and reconnect them to whakapapa. The work opens new paths to understand historic resource use, trade, and sustainable practices in Aotearoa.
Providing the voice for kanakana –assisting with storytelling and being part of the restoration journey for this taonga species
This internship is about the kanakana/piharau/pouched lamprey, a struggling fish species in New Zealand due to decline in river water quality, industrialisation, and river alteration.
PARS wars: a systematic review of 'Play, Active Recreation and Sport' (PARS) in promoting mental health among Māori youth
This internship investigates how physical activity and sports (PARS) support the mental wellbeing of rangatahi Māori, combining research review and lived experiences to explore culturally relevant pathways to flourishing.
Māori community action and responses to severe weather events
This internship canvassed a localised Māori community’s response to severe weather events to highlight the implications for psychology.
A REVIEW OF THE CURRENT LEGAL STATE AND GOVERNANCE OF THE HAKA KA MATE
This project explored the intersection of te ao Māori and intellectual property law through a case study on the haka Ka Mate and the rights of Ngāti Toa Rangatira. It critically examined the Haka Ka Mate Attribution Act 2014, questioning its effectiveness in protecting Ngāti Toa’s interests within current legal frameworks.
Rebuilding ahi kaa - keeping the home fires bright
This internship explored how urban-raised Māori postgraduate students can reconnect and rekindle their ahi kā with ancestral marae, strengthening their sense of belonging and empowering them to keep the home fires burning.
WĀHINE MĀ KŌREROTIA: TE REO O TE WĀHINE ME TE WHENUA - A MANA WĀHINE ANALYSIS OF BROADSHEET MAGAZINE
This research analysed kōrero by wāhine Māori on whenua protection and protest, as expressed in Broadsheet magazine (1979–1984). It contributes to the Mana Wāhine Kaupapa Inquiry by examining how wāhine Māori challenged land desecration and Crown confiscation, and how their activism was represented in feminist media.
Linking the push for a ‘by Māori, for Māori’ child protection system to the wider decolonisation movement.
This internship focused on decolonisation in the context of Aotearoa’s child protection system.
Supporting the build of a research and teaching repository for the Indigenization of the LLB
This project supported the indigenisation of the LLB at the University of Canterbury by developing an online repository of Māori-focused legal resources. The intern helped compile and organise materials to strengthen Māori perspectives in legal education and support future lawyers to engage meaningfully with te ao Māori and Māori legal knowledge.
Mātauranga Māori and the Patent Law System: Collision and Contest
This internship project examined the collision and contest of te ao Māori and the intellectual property system with respect to mātauranga Māori.
Intergenerational impacts of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder on Indigenous whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori
This internship project explored the intergenerational impacts of FASD on Indigenous whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori.
Reo Māori Corpora Format for generative Māori AI
InternPunua Waitoki, University of WaikatoSupervisorAssociate Professor Te Taka Keegan, University of WaikatoOverviewThis internship investigated suitable Māori language data formats and quantities that can be best utilised by modern AI systems to build generative AI tools for te reo Māori that support Māori Data Sovereignty. The research informs…
Exploring culturally responsive vaccine delivery for Māori: A kaupapa Māori framed review of literature
InternStacy-Ria Te Kurapa-King, University of AucklandSupervisorDr Anneka Anderson, University of AucklandOverviewThis internship project was a targeted literature review adopting a Whakapapa research methodology to explore the facilitators and barriers of immunisation for tamariki Māori in NZ. The rationale of exploring the vaccine landscape for tamariki…
HE ARA PŪKEKO: PATHWAYS TO MĀORI DATA FUTURES
This internship focused on the creation of a ‘supervisor’s package’ to support He Ara Pūkeko, an apprenticeship programme.
Toolkit for Māori Data Governance Model
This internship explored the emerging field of Māori data governance, focusing on unmet needs within current data systems. The project unpacked Te Kāhui Raraunga’s Māori Data Governance Model and repackaged its components into practical formats—including FAQs, presentations, and social media-ready content—to support wider understanding and application…
Māori Data Sovereignty
How do we protect our data as Māori? This internship explored Māori data sovereignty—what it means, how it’s practiced, and why it matters. Through a series of easy-to-understand research briefs, the project supports whānau Māori to better understand and navigate issues like facial recognition technology and the future of our digital information.
He Taonga te Raraunga: Exploring Māori data sovereignty practices for whānau Māori
This internship created briefs for whānau Māori that explored what Māori Data Sovereignty is and why the protection of Māori data is important in today’s world of rapid technological advancement.
NPM Te Kāhui Raraunga Karahipi Internship
This internship aim was to scope the possibilities hapū, iwi and Māori organisations have to exercise Māori data sovereignty over electoral roll data, collected compulsorily about Māori for the administration of the electoral rolls by the Electoral Commission.
How will Āta Tiaki Taonga Tuku Iho help to meet the needs of Taumata Whakapumau Tiaki Taonga?
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.
Tohe-Ora Wānanga Whenua Ngā Kīanga a Te Whakatōhea
This research supported Te Whakatōhea's vision of mana Māori motuhake through a focus on kai sovereignty and climate resilience. The intern gathered and analysed mōteatea recordings relating to kai, contributing to the iwi’s Tohe Ora Wānanga Whenua programme. The project informed efforts to reconnect whānau with their whenua and promote maara kai for…
Reimagining Dissemination: Utilising co-design and kaupapa Maaori to create a dissemination outcome
InternKeely Ranga, University of OtagoSupervisorDr Jade Tamatea, Waipapa Taumata Rau; The University of AucklandOverviewTōku Ara OraNGA – TAONGA was a Māori-led, multi-stage research project, with an almost entirely Māori research team. The project explored the development of a Kaupapa Māori-informed co-design of outpatient care for thyrotoxicosis, aiming…
Māori whānau mental health and addiction journeys
This internship contributed to a larger postdoctoral research fellowship project: a kaupapa Māori analysis of Māori experiences of cannabis and methamphetamine use.
ADHD in Australasia and the Pacific: A comprehensive literature review
This internship project, aimed to compile an extensive literature review on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with a focus on the Australasian and Pacific regions.
Whakamana: Empowering Well-being for Rangatahi Takatāpui – Weaving a Whāriki for Mana-Enhancing Engagement
This project aimed to redress the lack of culturally safe, gender-affirming, and inclusive support services available for rangatahi takatāpui and their whānau within the Te Ranga Tupua rohe.
Decolonising child protection in Aotearoa: What can be learned from First Nations internationally?
This internship focused on global efforts by First Nations and Indigenous peoples to decolonise and re-indigenise child protection systems.
Effects of historical trauma for Māori through their experiences of state welfare
This internship contributed to a broader research project exploring how experiences of state welfare have contributed to historical trauma for Māori.
The Trajectory of Tangonge
Tangonge is a hugely significant taonga, historically referred to as the Kaitaia Lintel or Kaitaia Carving. It is now understood to have been a waharoa (gateway) and is considered the earliest surviving Māori carving in the world — a source of great mana and identity for the iwi of Te Hiku o te Ika.
Kaitiaki pā harakeke for socio-environmental wellbeing
This internship project employed a tikanga-based and marae-based regenerative environmental approach, emphasising the reciprocal relationship between people and te taiao.
Scoping the mental health impacts of climate change on food sovereignty in Indigenous Peoples
This internship aimed to address the critical shortage of literature in this field by providing insight into the ways climate change has impacted the mental health of Indigenous Peoples.
The Interaction of Tikanga Māori Law, Climate Change and Tort Law
This Kaupapa Māori research centred Māori worldviews, values, and lived experiences. It drew on legal analysis and case study work to investigate how tikanga Māori is reshaping law and dispute resolution in Aotearoa’s climate-conscious future.
Imagining honourable kawanatanga: Insights from Waitangi Tribunal reports
This project served as an introduction to the ongoing study Honourable Kāwanatanga: A Prerequisite for Constitutional Transformation. The overall study was designed to answer the following key questions: 1. What is honourable kāwanatanga? 2. How can third sector (and other) organisations strengthen and deepen their engagement with Te Tiriti?
Indigenous Visual Jurisprudence – developing a definition
The interns contributed to a research project exploring a new area of law, visual jurisprudence, which is a legal theory that considers how visual legal information affects people's perceptions of the law and its impact on them and their communities. The research focused on the aesthetic and moral implications of Indigenous peoples' visualisation of their…
Kaumātua Futures: Ko te pae tawhiti, whāia kia tata. Ngāti Whakaue Case Study
This Ageing Well NSC research project explored the unique role of kaumātua within Ngāti Whakaue, challenging government definitions that homogenise Māori elders. It highlights how kaumātua serve whānau, marae, hapū, and iwi—and what’s needed to support and sustain their leadership into the future.
“Kei whea rā he oranga mō taku iwi e”: A critical biography of Tuaiwa Hautai Rickard
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.
Hauora: a Ngāti Kahungunu perspective
Sharron’s doctoral research is a strengths-based study called ‘Hauora: A Ngāti Kahungunu perspective’ and the research question is, “What is the relationship between kaupapa Māori community-led initiatives and Māori notions of hauora and how can this mātauranga-ā-iwi inform Te Ara Toiora, the Ngāti Kahungunu Wellbeing Strategy?”
Māori Adaptation Theory & Practice: Oral Traditions, Literature, and Cinema
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…
He rau rangatira, he rau MANUKURA: A Māori Model of Education
Keita’s research is a qualitative case study on MANUKURA and sets out to explore what practices and/or principles are gained from the kura that support ākonga Māori in their educational aspirations. To achieve this, Keita is interested in the voices of raukura (graduates) of MANUKURA and their whānau, current senior ākonga and their whānau, kaiako, and key…
‘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…
Mapping Tuangi (cockle) populations using Māori knowledge to inform co-management practices in Ōhiwa harbour
This study has been initiated by the iwi of Ōhiwa, led by Ngāti Awa to establish techniques and practices to provide information to assist in the co-management of Ōhiwa harbour.
Taonga tuku iho: The contribution of Māori Nurse Practitioners towards the transformation of Primary Healthcare
Ebony’s PhD research will explore the contribution of Māori nurse practitioners and opportunities to transform Primary Healthcare services within Aotearoa.
He whakapapa o ngā whare tikanga Māori me te uruhi ai i ngā ture mā i te Pākeha: A history of Māori building practises and imposed Pākehā building legislations
Savannah’s research aims to compile mātauranga of whare tikanga (Māori building practises) to understand the processes and practices involved in customary whare Māori (Māori buildings) construction.
Kia rere te hekatai kei runga kia panonitia i te rehutai ¬– the transformative power of creative flows, tracing the spirals of mauri, wairua and ha
The research considers our whanaungatanga relationships and whakapapa connections to ngā rākau and ngāhere. This has led to the creation of a plant-based 16mm film developer, replacing the environmentally damaging Kodak D-76 chemicals.
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…
Towards developing a Māori theory of fragmentation
Simon’s research is concerned with the imposition of Western thought on Māori which has displaced our ways of knowing and being. Colonisation is most visible in the political and biophysical spheres, however, less apparent is the damage to the less tangible – a Māori metaphysics – which underpins relation to the world, and importantly, our ways of existing.
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?
Taitamawahine Narratives of Abortion
This research will increase our understanding of the sexual and reproductive journeys of taitamawahine to make clear recommendations to improve the provision of abortion healthcare so it’s accessible and culturally relevant to taitamawahine.
Wairuatanga: Exploring understandings of wairua for rangatahi Māori in a youth forensic setting
This research will explore wairua and spirituality for rangatahi Māori involved with a youth forensic service in Aotearoa, New Zealand
Indigenising movement: Building technology to fuel cultural vitality among rangatahi and whānau Māori in Aotearoa
Kapa haka provides a space for cultural expression, physical movement, and identity development. But how can technology be used to develop accessible kapa haka-informed physical movement resources that promote cultural identity development and overall wellbeing for rangatahi and whānau Māori?
Weaving Māori Hearts in the Digital Wharenui: Nurturing Whakawhanaungatanga Through a Kaupapa Māori Social Media Platform - Tōku Whānau
The project will explore the research question: What would a kaupapa Māori based social media platform for Māori communities and whānau look and feel like? The research will involve engaging with a specific Māori community through wānanga/whakawhiti kōrero in order to ascertain the key elements required to develop it into a more Māori-specific and -friendly…
Kauora ki te Ao
Kauora is a whānau-derived theory and practice of swimming, developed through Raureti’s doctoral research, that redefines how whānau engage in kaupapa wai. This project supports its implementation by developing a data sovereignty policy for Ngāti Kapu to guide the protection and long-term sustainability of mātauranga, reo and whānau data gathered through…
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.
Hononga Raraunga - Te Rohe Eke a Turora
This research project is creating a Digital Data Dashboard that links land blocks and sites with tūpuna and hapū names for the uri of Turora.
Understanding and Enhancing Climate & Oranga/Wellbeing Research in Te Tairāwhiti
In collaboration with Te Weu Charitable Trust, this research seeks to address critical gaps in our understanding of climate change impacts and adaptation strategies specific to Māori communities in Te Tairāwhiti.
What is Data Sovereignty in Triangulation with Māori Innovation and Western Intellectual Property Regimes? Of Registries, Reality and Rangatiratanga
The research project is analysing the WIPO’s proposal to develop databases of Indigenous Knowledge and genetic resources through a case study on mātauranga Māori innovations in papakāinga and assessing findings about novel mātauranga vis-à-vis existing and proposed domestic and international laws regarding data in registries.
Mā te Taiaho Matawai kia Whakahura Ngā Korero o Nehe – Laser Beam Scanning Technologies for Unlocking Landscape Narratives
LiDAR technology offers unprecedented access to the whenua—capturing the contours of the landscape at fine detail and revealing wāhi tapu and heritage sites often lost under forest canopies or inaccessible locations. This research explores how hapū and iwi can utilise geospatial technologies like LiDAR to identify, connect-with, and enrich the management…
Te Rangianiwaniwa a Te Harakeke – The Harakeke’s Rainbow
This research supports iwi-led, tikanga-informed innovation, grounded in Kaupapa Māori methodology. Through wānanga and co-design with Ngāti Tukorehe, the team is developing safe, solvent-free dye processes that respect tikanga and are reproducible in community settings.
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.
Tohunga Talks: Digital Narratives of Tohunga that Nurture Multiliteracies of Ākonga
This project explores how digital narratives of tohunga can be curated to support and enrich the multiliteracies of ākonga, particularly in Te Tai Tokerau. At its heart, Tohunga Talks is a collaborative digital storytelling initiative grounded in Te Tai Tokerau mātauranga tuku iho, Kaupapa Māori research approaches, and the Mana Model.
International Indigenous Climate Change Summit (IICCRS) communiqué
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 Streets
Street design in Aotearoa has had limited involvement from iwi, hapū and Māori hāpori to date and yet streets are everywhere, they connect us to each other, they are communication channels and spaces and places to engage with others. What then might a Māori street look and feel like?
Mō Ngā Uri a Muri Ake Nei: Supporting Te Tai o Araiteuru Inter-generational Decision-making Through Sea-rise Visualisation
Sea level rise is threatening many marae and coastal cultural sites across Te Tai o Araiteuru. Yet existing climate models are complex and often not locally relevant or easy to understand. This project created a dynamic, culturally grounded 3D visualisation of the Otago coastline, integrating Kāi Tahu cultural data with environmental modelling to support…
Te Taunaha i ngā Tapuwae ō mātou Tīpuna: Piloting the use of Traditional Knowledge (TK) Labels by Ngā Hapū o Waimārama for their Archaeological sites
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.
He Uru Mānuka — Creative cultural mapping and ‘restorying’ networked relations on the Waiapu River
Inspired by an ancient mōteatea and grounded in the living whenua of Ngāti Porou, He Uru Mānuka is a creative cultural mapping project breathing new life into ancestral knowledge. As climate shifts reshape the Waiapu River, we pair traditional practice with modern technologies to document, protect, and uplift the mauri of the land, the waters, and the…
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…
Me whakaoreore tātou: Mobilising mapping technologies that benefit Tahamata Incorporation’s coastal farm in Kuku, Horowhenua
Bringing together cutting-edge mapping tools, mātauranga Māori, and regenerative farming practices, this iwi-led project empowers Tahamata Incorporation to reimagine the future of their coastal farm. Through GIS, LiDAR, and deep local knowledge, the team is creating new ways to see, plan, and care for the whenua—together.
Strengthening the place and practice of mātauranga to support climate health outcomes in Aotearoa.
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…
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…
Mana Taiao Tairawhiti (MTT) submission to the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use in Tairāwhiti and Te Wairoa
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga supported Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti (MTT) in their submission to the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use in Tairāwhiti and Te Wairoa. Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti (MTT) is an informal network of Tairāwhiti residents and others concerned about land use and the impacts of woody debris. The MTT submission is unique in that it is based on a…
NPM Borrin Foundation Raumati Legal Research Internship Award Project: Tikanga and Te Tiriti –transforming law and policy in Aotearoa
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…
NPM Cawthron Te Pītau Whakarei Karahipi: Mātauranga Māori research and learning resources
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.
Tangi as a transferable mourning and grief model
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.
He hakune rangahau o Te Atiawa: What could a Te Atiawa research model and methodology look like?
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.
Kākāpō: Regenerating knowledge of an endangered Taonga species
This internship explored archival sources for Māori knowledge and stories about kākāpō, supporting efforts to protect this taonga species. Guided by NPM researchers, the intern contributed to public education strategies connecting mātauranga Māori with conservation.
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.
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.
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.
Maramataka Māori Embedding Indigenous Knowledge(s) in Education
This internship explored how Maramataka Māori and mātauranga can be meaningfully integrated into English and Māori-medium education in Aotearoa. It supported the protection and sharing of tohunga knowledge through research and a symposium connecting Indigenous educators across the Pacific.
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.
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.
Hangaia ana te whare o Indigenous Science
This project explored archival and historical material across Aotearoa and the Pacific to inform a whare metaphor for the new Centre of Indigenous Science at the University of Otago. The intern contributed to kaupapa Māori research within Te Koronga, gaining skills in research praxis, literature review, and kaupapa setting.
Building an Indigenous Science curriculum in tertiary education
This internship focused on Indigenous Science curriculum through a kaupapa Māori lens, producing a literature review of Māori and global Indigenous approaches. Working with Te Koronga and the Centre of Indigenous Science, the intern gained hands-on experience in kaupapa Māori research and curriculum development.
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.
Using a Māori lens to analyse media discourse on the introduction of the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022
This internship explored media coverage of the Pae Ora Act 2022, analysing tone, key messages, promises around Māori health outcomes, Treaty and equity framing, and budget considerations. Working with Associate Professor Bridgette Masters-Awatere and Dr Amohia Boulton, the intern contributed to a wider HRC-funded study by theming and analysing media content…
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.
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.
Te reo Māori Smart Home Voice Assistant
The internship focused on developing an openHAB plugin that understood commands in te reo Māori for smart home systems. Supervised by Associate Professor Te Taka Keegan and others at the University of Waikato, the project enhanced the intern’s skills in software development and smart technology. The open-source plugin contributed to creating technology…
Developing a Bibliography of Politics Research by Kairangahau Māori
This internship compiled a bibliography of politics research by kairangahau Māori, supporting more inclusive and responsive political studies in Aotearoa. Guided by a multidisciplinary rōpū, interns built research skills and helped shape future pathways for Māori in politics and policy.
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…
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 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…
Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Universities Communiqué
This communiqué was developed by the Indigenous Data Sovereignty Collab held at the 10th International Indigenous Research Conference (IIRC22), 15-18 November 2022. Hosted by Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Centre of Research Excellence, IIRC has a well established reputation as a premiere international Indigenous conference. Researchers: The IIRC22 IDSov Collab…
Ngā miru ā ira kawe hā: Modified local soil and oxygen nanobubble technology to heal unwell taonga lakes.
Over the past 60 years, the water quality has declined in many large NZ lakes, including Rotorua, Pupuke, Rotoehu, Rotoiti, Tutira and Horowhenua in the North Island, and Lakes Ellesmere (Te Waihora) and Forsyth (Wairewa) in the South Island (Rowe 2004). All of these lakes are important taonga to tangata whenua, and have served as pataka kai for many…
Te Kōrero a te Reporepo – Understanding the Connection Between Tohu, te Maramataka and the Health of te Taiao
This kaupapa explored the relationships between environmental tohu (signs) observed in reporepo (swamplands), the phases of the maramataka, and the health of local ecosystems in the Hokianga.
Whakamana: Empowering well-being for rangatahi takatāpui - Phase 1
This project marked the first phase of an initiative to support the long-term flourishing of rangatahi takatāpui within Te Ranga Tupua rohe (Whanganui, Rangitīkei, Ruapehu, and South Taranaki).
E rua ngaa marae, kotahi te Iwi – Stories of Ngaati Koroki Kahukura
Spanning from Maungatautari to the Waikato River, this project centres the identity, resilience, and knowledge of Ngaati Koroki Kahukura. Through research grounded in whakapapa, reo, tikanga and mātauranga, we illuminate the vital role our iwi has played in shaping wellbeing, cultural revitalisation, and sustainable relationships within our rohe and beyond.
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.
The use of tikanga Māori law in Te Kōti Whenua Māori Land Court dispute resolution mediation service and the outcomes for Māori landowners.
This research is at the cutting-edge of expanding legal research theory, methodology and legal knowledge in the development of a bijural legal system in Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2021, Te Kōti Whenua Māori initiated a new tikanga-based dispute resolution process, in response to amendments to the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993. We will analyse and assess how…
Toiora, Hauora: Developing Māori arts-based pedagogy for whānau wellbeing
Toiora, Hauora is a Kaupapa Māori arts-based collaboration that theorises the pedagogy of Māori creative practices, specifically focusing on how Māori arts can support flourishing Māori whānau wellbeing.
Motiti Marae and Tapuiwahine A12 whenua landblocks: The seen and the unseen – Exploring whenua and waterways ecosystems through sonic mapping and LiDar scanning technologies.
Motiti Marae and Tapuiwahine A12 whenua are full of unseen stories, rhythms, and vibrational energies. This research brought together cutting-edge sonic mapping and LiDar scanning technologies to explore the ecosystems and acoustic heritage of these ancestral lands. In partnership with local hapū, marae, and iwi, the project captured both the seen and the…
Hikairo whānau book series – Culturally responsive teaching in Aotearoa
Project SummaryCurrently, the New Zealand Education system is failing Māori in almost every measure of educational progression. A significant part of the problem is the lack of cultural competence of the non-Māori majority teacher workforce. Given the projections of increasing Māori and Pacifica student populations, there is a compelling need to address the…
Kai Piro, Oranga Tangata: Māori Fermented Food and Derived Health Benefits to Māori
Revitalising kai piro – reconnecting traditional Māori food practices with community health, cultural identity, and future innovation.
Combatting bias in schools: A Kaupapa Māori study into students’ experiences of racism by Māori, with Māori, for the benefit of Māori
Despite growing calls for anti-racism in education, many interventions fall short of meaningful impact. This kaupapa Māori project listened directly to Māori students in Northland to document their lived experiences of racism in schools. These insights are now laying the groundwork for an innovative intervention: a virtual reality (VR) simulation that…
Tihei Mauriora, Tihei Mana Motuhake: Breathing mauri and mana motuhake into the lives of rangatahi Māori who offend, and their whānau, who have lived experience of trauma.
Māori youth are vastly over-represented in New Zealand’s justice system — a clear sign that the system isn’t working for everyone. This project aims to change that.
Tutungia te kāpura hei oranga mō te hapū: Light the fires for our collective vitality
This PhD offers a re-examination of the tikanga of ahikā—traditionally understood as a metaphor for sustained occupation—by exploring the literal fires that burned on hapū lands. Through investigating the diverse uses of fire by Māori ancestors (for warmth, kai, light, and communication), this research reveals a richer, more refined understanding of ahikā…
Protecting Ngāti Tiipa hapū data sovereignty
This project explores hapū data sovereignty for Ngāti Tiipa, using tikanga to protect and manage data for whānau. It tests a Māori data privacy framework with Ngāti Tiipa’s digital databases, drawing on their mātauranga to guide decisions on data privacy and sovereignty.
Hua o te Kawariki – Ngāti Whātua Curriculum
‘Hua o te Kawariki’ explores Ngāti Whātua mātauranga to inform future teaching, learning and leadership. Grounded in the prophetic mōteatea He aha te hau, this research draws on the wisdom of Ngāti Whātua mātanga to shape the vision for a potential Ngāti Whātua curriculum and kura ecosystem.
He oranga tuku iho: Oranga through mahinga toi. He tirohanga nō Te Whānau a Apanui.
This research explored how mahinga toi—through process, theory, and creative output—supported whānau, hapū, and iwi oranga and mana motuhake. Grounded in Te Whānau a Apanui, it developed a tukunga iho methodology that extended pūrākau into creative practice, recognising toi as both healer and knowledge system.
The Inequities of the NASC system in Aotearoa for Whaikaha Māori
This project explores the barriers Māori whānau face in accessing disability funding through New Zealand’s Needs Assessment and Coordination system. Combining a literature review with interviews of whānau and Kaupapa Māori providers, the research aims to build strong relationships and develop a Kaupapa Māori equity-based tool. Ultimately, this will support…
Te Kai Ora a Kāi Tahu: Conceptualising Kāi Tahu kai sovereignty and Māori nutrition data sovereignty
This research explored how Kāi Tahu can strengthen control over kai systems, sources, and practices. By weaving together insights on Māori food and nutrition data sovereignty, it offers a foundation for future whānau- and hapori-led kai ora initiatives.
Utilising Mātauranga to Guide Biomedical Research
This research draws on mōteatea, whakataukī, and insights from Māori experts to illuminate the ethical foundations of Kaupapa Māori methodologies. By mapping these principles against Western theories, it guides culturally safe approaches for intergenerational trauma and Indigenous health research.
Kawa Whakaruruhau: Culturally-safe spaces for Māori nurse practice development
PhD Candidate: Jennifer Tokomauri McGregor (Ngati Raukawa (Waikato)) Primary Supervisor(s): Dr. Alayne Mikahere-Hall Background: Despite being a long-term government priority, the inequity of Māori nurses in the health workforce is long-standing, suggesting that that recruitment and retention of Māori into the nursing workforce is problematic. Māori nurses…
Mō ngā uri whakatipu: Women leaders paving a pathway for future generations in governance
What does Māori women’s leadership in governance look like when told through their own voices? This project centres wāhine rangatira experiences and mentorship to develop a mana wāhine-led model of leadership and governance—from wāhine, for wāhine.
Mana Tinana, Mana Mōmona, Mana Wāhine: Ngā Pūrākau o Ngā Tinana Body Sovereignty and Fat Māori Wāhine
How do fat Indigenous wāhine reclaim body sovereignty as a form of resistance? This research centred on the lived experiences of fat Māori wāhine, challenging colonial and biomedical narratives through the lens of mātauranga Māori. It reclaims tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake of the body, and reimagines access, wellbeing, and worth beyond systems of…
Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu: How do wahine Māori nurses utilise mātauranga Māori as a means to address health equity in Te Tai Tokerau?
PHD Candidate: Coral Wiapo (Ngati Whātua) Primary Supervisor(s): Dr Sue Adams Work is underway in Te Tai Tokerau to strengthen the Māori nursing workforce by supporting kaimahi to enter the nursing profession; and registered nurses to advance their scope of practice to become nurse prescribers or nurse practitioners (NPs). Improving access to healthcare for…
Tautohetohe: The Art of Debate
This project investigated the linguistic features of te reo Māori in formal debates (tautohetohe) broadcast in the 1990s, supporting the development of Papa Reo—an Indigenous-led multilingual language research platform.
Whakarauora: Whanganui pātaka construction
This internship supported the Whakarauora Project by researching traditional Whanganui pātaka practices to help revive customary fishing and storage methods. Working with Te Morehu Whenua, the project contributes to cultural education and the restoration of taonga species management.
Separatism, or sovereignty? Exploring social media and news media narratives of Maaori tino-rangatiratanga in politics and health
This internship analysed how race and racism are framed in New Zealand’s social and traditional media around key issues like constitutional reform and Māori health. Guided by a research team, the intern conducted manual content analysis to uncover overt and subtle expressions of racism.
Unravelling the Whakapapa and Pūrākau of the Waikouaiti Recreation Reserve
This project explored how the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi align—or conflict—with the management of public reserves, through a case study of Waikouaiti Recreation Reserve in the Kāti Huirapa ki Puketeraki rohe. Supervised by Dr Robin Quigg, the research involved historical analysis of land use, whakapapa, and pūrākau, contributing to the…
Whakapapa: Whānau Narratives
This project explored whānau-submitted narratives to understand the potential of whānau research in reclaiming knowledge, supporting healing, and navigating barriers. The intern analysed submissions and reflected on how whakapapa-based methodologies foster intergenerational connection, resilience, and insight.
Tūrou Hawaiki: Morning karakia and waiata as a culturally responsive pedagogy
This internship explored the wellbeing benefits of daily karakia and waiata at the University of Canterbury, highlighting their role in fostering cultural connection and belonging. Using a braided rivers methodology, the project captured staff and student experiences of these powerful tikanga Māori practices.
Te Au Roa – Predator sound lure trial: Draw possums out of those difficult to reach places on Taranaki Mounga
This project trialled a bush-ready acoustic sound lure, co-developed with Auroa School students, to help draw out remaining possums from hard-to-reach areas of the Kaitake ranges. Supporting Taranaki Mounga Project and DOC’s pest eradication goals, this innovative tech aims to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and protect precious biodiversity.
Investigating traditional mahinga kai practices of preservation throughout Aotearoa
This internship compiled a database of traditional Māori food preservation practices to better understand archaeological midden sites and mahinga kai history. Working with Otago’s SPAR team, the project links historical knowledge with contemporary preservation techniques across Aotearoa.
He oranga whānau: mahi ngātahi: Whānau livelihoods within the context of work and Māori economies of wellbeing
He oranga whānau: mahi ngātahi: Whānau livelihoods within the context of work and Māori economies of wellbeing. These groundbreaking works celebrate Māori futures rooted in kaupapa Māori values while fostering pathways for responsible relationships, meaningful lives, and flourishing Indigenous wellbeing economies. By emphasising the central role of whānau…
Ngā Hua a Te Matatini : The benefits of kapa haka to Aotearoa
Conscious of the lack of serious inquiry into Kapa Haka, the CEO of Te Matatini Inc, the National Organisation for Kapa Haka in Aotearoa New Zealand approached Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence (NPM), to make a start on rectifying this situation. This programme of research seeks to better appreciate the value and…
- Nikora et al. (2022). The Value of Kapa Haka – An Overview Report. Auckland, NZ : Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga
- Hall, M., & Bowden, L. (2021). Māori Performing Arts and Educational Outcomes Report.
- Meade, R. (2021). Exploring the Cultural Value of Kapa Haka – the Māori Performing Arts
- Mikaere, T.M. (2021). Ngā hua nui o te kapa haka.
- Nikora et al. (2021). Exploring the value and meaning of Kapa Haka - Māori Performing Arts : The Hine Rēhia Survey. Auckland, NZ
- Selby-Rickit, T.H.R. (2021). Ngā hua nui o te kapa haka.
- Te Huia, A., & Fox, R. (2020). Manawa ū ki te reo Māori : Matatini and non-Matatini survey responses
He Tohu Maumahara ki a Paora Mato
This internship created a 3D-printed Tekoteko trophy using a biodegradable harakeke filament to honor the memory of Dr Paora Mato. The project blends traditional Māori carving with contemporary art, sparking conversations about tikanga and cultural practice.
He huringa āhuarangi, he huringa ao: a changing climate, a changing world
A new report from Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM) and Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research provides guidance for Te Ao Māori on climate change adaptation and mitigation. He huringa āhuarangi, he huringa ao: a changing climate, a changing world was produced by a multidisciplinary Māori research team working across many research institutions. Using a novel kaupapa…
Feed the Pā
Often Kaumātua and elders generally, are seen as vulnerable and passive recipients of services throughout the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic. However, in the village of Ohinemutu and as citizens of their iwi Ngāti Whakaue, Kaumātua have been active leaders in the response of the village, initially during the first four-week lockdown in 2020. However, that…
Hoki atu ki tōu maunga kia purea ai e koe ki ngā hau o Tāwhirimātea
This research explored how uri of Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa found new and creative ways to reconnect with their whenua and te taiao during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through intergenerational interviews, the project highlighted sensory and spiritual practices of reconnection—shared through podcasts and a short film to inspire and support collective healing.
‘Ubiquitous Maths Learning Made Easy for Rangatahi and Adult Learners. (Especially if we are in lockdown!)’
‘Ubiquitous Maths Learning Made Easy for Rangatahi and Adult Learners. (Especially if we are in lockdown!)’ Adults and rangatahi often come to maths learning with an already formed (negative) mathematics learning identity. Rangatahi know that for certain future goals they will need to “have” mathematics as part of their knowledge “suite”. Adults in certain…
Privileging whānau voices, whakapapa narratives towards whānau ora
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of Whakarewarewa Village Tours. The hapū of Whakarewarewa resolved to re-open the village in December 2020 however, the decimated context of the tourism industry, change of attention to a domestic market and the apprehension of the whānau to the opening of the village to tourists requires a thorough investigation and…
The mental, relational, psychological, and spiritual wellbeing of Māori during and post-lockdown
New research analyses the mental, relational, psychological, and spiritual wellbeing of over 3000 Māori during and post-lockdown through Te Rangahau o Te Tuakiri Māori me Ngā Waiaro ā-Pūtea | The Māori Identity and Financial Attitudes Study (MIFAS). Duing Round 2 Te Rangahau o Te Tuakiri Māori me Ngā Waiaro ā-Pūtea | The Māori Identity and Financial…
Lived experiences of Māori employees during Covid-19
Māori are facing many challenges in their work experiences, especially during Covid-19. This research seeks to understand the unique cultural strategies that employees engage in that make these challenges more bearable.
The Koha of COVID
Research on the impact of COVID-19 on Māori tends to highlight its negative outcomes. This strengths-based research project examines improvements in Māori wellbeing that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic The Koha of COVID strengths-based research project examines improvements in Māori wellbeing that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic…
Building a Virtual Papakāinga: A review of best practice
This project asks whether there are lessons to be had found in both the Māori Covid-19 response to date and the growing body of evidence that papakāinga living has benefits beyond the physical home that could inform a wider response to prepare whānau for current and future infectious disease threats and ultimately support ongoing socio-cultural connection…
"Seeing" kāpō Māori: Documenting the oft invisibilized experiences of kāpō Māori during and post-COVID-19
Western views on disability & underfunding of Indigenous health marginalises kāpō Māori. New research aims to change this & centre kāpō Māori lifeworlds Traditional forms of Māori story-telling describe strong and knowledgeable kāpō Māori. Ongoing processes of colonisation has seen experiences of marginalisation, invisibility, and ‘othering’ become the norm…
Perceptions of Papakāinga: An examination of ‘home’ and how to cater services for Māori
This study will explore how comparative views of “home” relate to concepts such as identity, whakapapa, and hauora and how these concepts thereby impact service utilisation and uptake in two areas (one rural and one urban). The research seeks to ask How do urban and rural Māori conceptualise “home” and do these ideas of home differ across generations? Do…
A Kaupapa Māori Approach to Human Resource Management Practices in Aotearoa Workplaces
What unique Human Resource Management (HRM) practices are offered in Aotearoa workplaces that directly engage in a positive way with Māori employees? What do these look like? How are the perceived (and received) by Maori and non-Māori employees? Do they positively shape attitudes as we might expect - and if not, why not? What are the barriers and drivers…
What we were and what we could be: Restorative Justice and its impact on Māori
We have identified a set of questions relating to Māori restorative justice in the Aotearoa Justice system and its effectiveness for Māori: What are the barriers Māori face when they participate in restorative justice as it stands? What can we learn from the traditional ways of resolving conflict that could minimise these barriers? The over-representation…
Tuurangawaewae Marae: A Place to Stand
The guiding research question for this project are: 1) How has Tuurangawaewae Marae fostered community mauri ora (wellbeing) within Waikato and in Te Ao Maaori more broadly? 2) What role has Tuurangawaewae Marae played as both a repository and a place of action for te Reo me ngaa Tikanga in Waikato and in Aotearoa-New Zealand? 3) What are the factors…
Tangaroa Ara Rau: Whānau connections & Water Safety
This report has been prepared for Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga as part of the summer internship programme 2018-2019. This project is titled Tangaroa Ara Rau: Whānau connections and Water Safety with a purpose to understand unique whānau connections to water and its benefit for water safety. Throughout the summer of 2018 Terina Raureti (Ngāti Raukawa) was given…
Tangaroa Ara Rau: Tangaroa the Atua of Human Movement
This research report has been titled Rākau-nui as an acknowledgement to the full moon phase in the Maramataka (Māori lunar calendar). Rākau-nui also represents the collected journey to which this full report has been constructed from. The Maramataka is a repository of ancient and traditional knowledge orally handed down throughout the generations by our…
Tikanga Māori and Our Lexicon
What does tikanga Māori mean in today’s context; how is tikanga Māori understood and practiced within iwi, hapū, whānau, marae and more broadly in our everyday practices and national institutions; and how can key Māori principles and practices such as wānanga, kaitiakitanga, hakairo Māori, and wairua Māori more holistically drive research, professional and…
O Nāianei Tae Atu ki te Anamata: Normalising te Reo Māori and Culture in the Modern World
What existing research, collation, archivingand disseminating of knowledge specific to te reo me ngā tikanga Māori has been done to date across Aotearoa New Zealand within Māori communities, government agencies, and research institutions’, what additional strategies can be used to further support the normalising of te reo me ngā tikanga in the modern world…
Collectivising Te Reo me Ngā Tikanga Rangahau Māori
How do we collectivise what we have for greater gain? How can we best create sustainable new te reo me ngā tikanga narrative led research to refresh, renew and recover te reo me ngā tikanga knowledge narratives and scholarships and support reo speaking communities and scholars and what national and institutional strategies are required to truly enable te…
Aro ki te Wairua o te Hā – Wairua Approach to Birthing and Pregnancy
What is the current state of knowledge on wairua, pregnancy and birthing, what are the key initia-tives and opportunities for collaborative research pro-jects, and who are the key stakeholders in this area? Pregnancy and birth are key times in the lives of mothers, babies and their whānau. Some whānau have the re-sources and life contexts that enable them…
The Impact of Incarceration on Whānau Health and Wellbeing
What are the knowledge gaps pertaining to the impact of incarceration on whānau health and wellbeing, what is the nature and scope of current initiatives for whānau who have a family member incarcerated, and what are the barriers and challenges for whānau utilising current initiatives for these whānau members? The over-representation of Māori in New Zealand…
Scoping Rangatahi Primary Mental Health Issues, Care and Services – A Kaupapa Māori Approach to Identifying the Gaps and Need
What are the mental health needs for rangatahi, what services are available to them, what are the gaps in rangatahi primary mental health care, and what are the potential innovations/strategies that would fill these gaps? The overall aim of this project has been to improve primary mental healthcare for rangatahi and to achieve this the researchers are…
Māori Leading Speech Language Therapy: Future Directions for Aotearoa
What Māori-focused research has been undertaken in the field of speech-language therapy, what does this research tell us about the speech-language therapy needs of Māori, and what evidence is there in the broader health and education sectors for ways to address any inequities or problems with speech-language therapy service provision for Māori…
Harakeke for a Sustainable Future in Whakaki
Is harakeke one key to a sustainable future for Aotearoa and, if it is, how do we utilise it to develop this sustainable future? This project is examining the interface between mātauranga Māori and ecological science related to harakeke. The case study focuses on Lake Whakaki, in the northern Hawke’s Bay, and explores what the current ecological condition…
Genomics for Kaitiakitanga: Whakapapa and Sustainability of Ipipiri Brown kiwi
How can local tangata whenua be empowered to make the best decisions for sustainable management of Northland’s brown kiwi, and how can the isolated kiwi populations from Ipipiri (Eastern Bay of Islands) be managed to maintain local whakapapa and reduce the negative impact of small population sizes and inbreeding? Management of taonga species is a costly and…
Ahi Kouka i te Ata, He ai i te Pō – The Value of Kouka From a Māori Lens
What mātauranga exists that can support our flora for their continued existence as taonga and how can Māori build their response capability to biological threats on taonga plant species? This project forms the benchmark for a larger, longer-term project aligned to mātauranga Māori and our traditional flora’s utility, past and present, with a particular…
"Kia Ū"; Kia ū tōu kawai whakapapa, kia mātau ai, ko wai koe, e anga atu koe ki hea
Kia ū ki tau kawai whakapapa, kia matau ai, ko wai koe, e anga atu koe ki hea – Take ahold of your ancestral stem, so that you might know, who you are, and what direction you're going in. Can virtual reality technology promote engagement with the taiao and can we create research methods to assess the impact of virtual reality engagement with the taiao on…
Whakahonotia Ngā Taonga Rerekē – Exploring Māori Values and Uses of Ecological Bio-control Agents
What values do Māori use to shape their views around the use of bio-control agents to control both exotic and Indigenous species and to values, and how to they assign risk posed by the introduction of a bio-control agent and when is it deemed unacceptable? This project is examining Māori views on the contemporary use of biocontrol agents and exploring the…
Te Hononga: Modelling Indigenous Collaborative Enterprise
What are the bases for Māori enterprise collaboration? How do Māori activate Indigenous entrepreneurial capabilities for collaboration and what forms do Māori enterprise collaborations take? By exploring Māori enterprise collaboration as a fundamental but challenging strategy for Māori economic development, this project identifies principles and models…
Taking Control: Māori Responses to Money, Wealth and Savings
What current methods do Māori use to manage money? What financial products and services are likely to be effective for Māori and how might these be successfully implemented? What support can Māori organisations (including iwi) and the government provide to increase whānau financial literacy and savings? Poverty within many Māori communities is perpetuated…
The Science of Language: Examining the linguistic structure of te reo Maōri
This summer internship investigated the evolution of te reo Māori by examining its linguistic structures, oral traditions, and the impact of historical and policy changes. The research aimed to enhance educational outcomes by analysing phonology, orthography, and teaching approaches, concluding with recommendations for compulsory curricula to better support…
Ngā Kōwhiringa Whenua Māori – Māori land-use opportunities
Exploring horticultural futures in Wairoa, this project identified saffron, feijoa, and gevuina as promising crops to protect whenua from erosion and support sustainable Māori land use.
Te Poutuarongo o Te Whare Kōkōrangi
Building on the 2013 project Ringihia i te kete – the language of the stars, this research developed a Māori astronomy database to preserve and expand mātauranga Māori about the stars. It aimed to strengthen the foundation for future Māori-led research by exploring how astronomical knowledge was embedded in language and cultural landscapes across Aotearoa.
How Great Can We Be? Identity Leaders of the Māori Economic Resistance
This internship explored concepts of cultural richness through a Māori lens, guided by whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and aroha. Blending personal narrative and research, the project examined how cultural richness and social capital can be meaningfully expressed and embedded within urban environments.
Te Kaahurewa: Drones in Māori environmental strategies
This internship used drone technology to capture aerial imagery of the Tapuwae block, exploring how cultural mapping and environmental monitoring can support Māori-led approaches to understanding and responding to landscape change.
Breaking the Barrier: A History of Māori Spiritual and Religious Entanglements at Aotea from 1889
Intern: Kelly M. Klink Supervisor: Dr Nēpia Mahuika University of Waikato This research seeks to examine the intergenerational impacts that Christianity— and particularly Mormonism—have had on the Māori at Aotea (Great Barrier Island) from the 19th century to the present. The research draws from oral interviews with whanau and pakeke and probes the…
Ngā uri o Matihiko: Digital Native Stories
This summer internship project explores nga uri o matihiko –the Māori digital generation. Qualitative research and input from digital natives provides insight into the behaviours, thoughts and actions and how identity is informed by a digital culture.
Mātauranga Māori in psychology: Contributions to an Indigenous Psychology
What does a uniquely Māori psychology look like? This research explored how mātauranga Māori—rooted in language, art, emotion, ethics, and connection—could shape a psychology curriculum grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, and being.
Wai-Tai, Wai-Rua: A mātauranga Māori approach to Heke Ngaru
How can a mātauranga Māori based Heke Ngaru contribute to flourishing whānau? Māori continue to experience health inequalities in terms of the social determinants of health. Indeed, rangatahi Māori are a demographic who face significant challenges in life compared to non-Māori. However, the evidence suggests that a strong Māori cultural sense of…
Te rangiwhāwhā o ngā Atua Māori: The widespread influence of atua Māori in a modern world
What are the implications of reclaiming and reviving the mātauranga associated with nga atua Māori and how does it contribute to reimagining the role of atua Māori in the modern world? How and why are atua Māori, and associated mātauranga, being referenced in different fields today? For example: Sport, recreation, and nutrition; Health and environmental…
Kia Whakapiri Mai: Bridging the home and away divide to enhance engagement
This NPM Platform Project is building an understanding on how to build stronger, more connected iwi, through enhancing engagement with Māori governance entities. In Phase 1 of the research, we are exploring the approaches used by Māori governance entities to ask: how do Māori governance entities engage members regardless of where they’re living? In Phase 2…
Practices of Sustenance: Collaborative explorations into the contours of wellness: Cultural reflections and contentions
This project explored how tamariki, rangatahi, and their whānau thrived in a changing world by supporting Māori wellbeing and success in diverse workplaces. Through research, interviews, and stakeholder input, it aimed to create a Māori-led Change Management Model and policy framework to foster sustainable incomes, cultural revitalisation, and balanced…
Resilient legacies: Mānawa te taonga tuku iho: The application and influence of taonga tuku iho in rugby
Resilient Legacies: Mānawa te Taonga Tuku Iho explored how Māori cultural treasures—taonga tuku iho—are used, valued, and commodified in Aotearoa’s rugby world. From haka to carved trophies, and digital taonga on the horizon, the project examines the impact on mana, mauri ora, and identity, and the cultural and commercial implications for Māori and rugby…
Strengthening Māori Agency: Te Whakamaru o Horohoro Maunga
This project explored how Ngāti Kea/Ngāti Tuara are revitalising their role as kaitiaki of Horohoro maunga near Rotorua. Faced with ecological threats from pests and limited access control, the hapū is leading efforts to restore native biodiversity and protect culturally significant whenua. Their story sheds light on Māori approaches to achieving a…
Community Connections to Place
This platform project explores how Māori-led taiao initiatives reconnect whānau and hapū with place, identity, and whakapapa. Through case studies, wānanga, and digital tools, the project examines the aspirations, processes, and outcomes of environmental mahi that strengthen connections between people and te taiao.
Digital Solutions to Support Knowledge and Connections
This project explored how Māori and Indigenous communities used digital platforms to protect and share mātauranga, with a focus on te taiao. It investigated tikanga-based digital protocols and iwi/hapū needs, informing the development of Indigenous-led digital solutions.
Developing a Māori Theory of Value
This project investigated how Māori values underpinning the Māori economy can be theorised and applied to enhance community wellbeing. By stocktaking existing literature and engaging across sectors, the researchers built a Māori-led theory of value grounded in tikanga and Indigenous epistemologies.
Kai governance, kai sovereignty, and the (re)production of kai: He moumou kai, he moumou tāngata - Enhancing culturally matched outcomes
In this platform research, our focus makes the distinction between ‘kai’ as a culturally defined Māori notion and western interpretations of ‘food’. “He moumou kai, he moumou tāngata” describes a state where our existence and futures as healthy Māori people (Mauri Ora: Human Flourishing) are put at risk because our kai sources (Te Tai Ao: The Natural…
Future Proofing Māori Development Opportunities: Huringa Rangi Huringa Oranga
This project brought together a multidisciplinary Māori research team to identify tikanga-based strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation. It consolidated Indigenous knowledge, promoted Māori-led solutions, and developed pathways for enhanced community wellbeing in the face of climate challenges.
Te Mātauranga Wakatere Waka
What is the reo of traditional navigation? How, why, when and where were these navigational aids used in Māori navigation? What are the perspectives of contemporary tohunga whakatere waka on Māori navigation aids today? Which stars and why do contemporary tohunga whakatere waka use in Māori navigation? In the past 40yrs, a regeneration of traditional…
Financial literacy for Māori realities: Designing culturally-responsive financial services and savings programmes for whānau Māori
What current methods do Māori (particularly those on low incomes and/or living in conditions of poverty) use to manage money? What financial products and services are likely to be effective for Māori and how might these be successfully implemented? What support can Māori organisations (including iwi) and the government provide to increase whānau financial…
Te Pā o Rākaihautū – Wetekia kia rere: Kaitiakitanga and decolonising methodologies
This proposed research will undertake a co-generative process with our community and collaborating researchers to scope and develop specific research questions that would form the basis of individual applications to three funding bodies. However, our meetings to date have broader research questions that have been discussed so far include: Is the Te Pā o…
Understanding and supporting Whānau Consent
To scope traditional and contemporary understandings of ‘whānau consent’ in regards to genetic, tissue and organ testing, collection, donation and banking. To understand how whānau go about gaining ‘whānau consent’ and what processes may support these conversations. To scope ways in which we can present information about what helps and hinders whānau…
Waiora ō Tātou Taonga – Healthy Water our Treasure
How can the synthesis of kaitiakitanga and green polymer science enhance and protect the mauri of water in Aotearoa? How can innovative polymer technologies protect and improve the mauri, wairua and kaitiakitanga of water in rural Māori communities? This project will conduct research into the impacts from septic tank seepage. This problem is both…
Seeking Pathways to mauri ora for tangata Māori with long-term conditions
The need for this project arises from a previous study conducted by MidCentral District Health Board (MDHB), which identified the following questions as essential: 1. What are the experiences of long-term conditions for tangata Māori? 2. What are the main support systems utilised by tangata Māori in the 'self-management' of their long-term conditions? 3…
Mahi Tahi mo Te Hinonga: Indigenous Collaboration for Enterprise and the role of Indigenous Business Networks
This project explores the role that enterprise plays in indigenous self-determination. In New Zealand, we have chosen to examine Māori business networks (MBNs), which we argue are a manifestation of this struggle, but suffer from the absence of a sustainable business model. Our research question is, 'what is the role of Māori business networks in Māori…
Oranga Tamariki: new knowledge for evaluating and empowering whānau well-being
How will tikanga Māori empower the evaluation of the experience of Māori whānau in crisis to measure the performance of the Government’s new obligations in law to Te Tiriti o Waitangi? Our longterm objective is to bring new evaluative knowledge to empower the mana of whānau in crisis. Māori have clearly and consistently stressed that a Māori child’s…
Analysis of the Cultural, Ethical, Research, Legal and Scientific (CERLS) Issues Inherent in Rongoā Māori Research
What are the cultural, ethical, research, legal and scientific (CERLS) issues that are inherent in research on rongoā Māori plants and healing? Debate about the misappropriation of information and knowledge in research means that greater care and attention is needed regarding Māori input and participation into research. This is even more important in the…
Whaia te Mana Māori Whakahaere Tōtika ki Whai Rawa – In Pursuit of Māori Self-Determination and Good Governance for Wealth and Well-Being
How can 21st century Māori self-determination and self-governance jurisdiction aspirations best be supported in law to assist with meeting strategic Māori community economic objectives of wealth and well-being? What legal solutions and models can better support multi-dimensional and intergenerational wealth and wellbeing for whānau, hapū and iwi as…
Taiora (Marine Life Monitoring Project)
He āta mātai, he rangahau i te oranga o te waitai i tētahi rohe o te Tairāwhiti kia mōhiotia ai he wai ora rānei, he tai ora rānei, he mate rānei tēnei momo taiao. Hei reira anō ka whakamōhiotia atu ki ngā mana tiaki o taua rohe, ka whakariterite tikanga hoki hei tiaki i te tai. Ko te rohe e tohua ana ko te ākau o Tokomaru i te raki ki Whāngārā i te tonga…
Embedded expressions of a people
This summer internship project will identify occasions where haka, waiata and other oral art forms were commonly used as a form of expression, the frequency in which these occasions occurred and the purpose of these expressions for each situation. Each of these occasions employed a particular style of oral art form. In addition to collating information of…
Tikanga, Technology & Trust: Approaches to the Governance of Māori Data
The purpose of this internship project is to further the operationalising of Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles by identifying tikanga that could inform practical data governance mechanisms. We will use kaupapa Māori as the theoretical framework to address the following research questions: 1. What concepts shape Māori views on the governance of data? 2…
Te Reo o te Pā Harakeke
This summer internship project is in support of one of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga's large te reo research projects, led through Te Ipukarea. Te Reo o te Pā Harakeke seeks to understand the factors that contribute to successful intergenerational transmission of the Māori language in the home. The interns join the research team and support the research in a…
Whai Rawa: The role of Māori women in the Māori economy
This summer intern research project explores from the perspective of Māori women, their understanding of the ‘Māori economy’ and the roles they have in developing intergenerational growth within the Small-to-medium sized sector. Women have a vast and positive impact on the economy. Key research already undertaken through the Māori SME whai rawa project (The…
Māori whānau experience of Hospital Transfers
This summer internship joins and contributes to a research project on Māori whānau experience of Hospital Transfers by being involved and undertaking literature review, in depth analysis of interview data and considering and reflecting on their research and the research impact and contribution. Publicly-funded hospitals are large healthcare institutions…
Establishing the maternal gaze: The 4th trimester and life outside the womb
Pregnancy is well known as consisting of 3 gestational periods; however very little research has been conducted that explores the postpartum, 4th trimester. The 4th trimester refers to the 3 month period post-birth, and may extend up to a year depending on social, physical and emotional issues related to birthing and motherhood. The 4th trimester is crucial…
He taonga te tamariki: exploring healthcare interactions with whānau e kōrero ana i te reo
This qualitative summer internship research aims to: Explore key components of a child health consultation with te reo speaking tamariki and whānau in a primary health care setting. Specific objectives include: • Identify the structure that doctors employ in a consultation with te reo speaking tamariki • Explore te reo speaking tamariki and whānau…
Māori-led education for sustainability – collective learning through observatories
This ummer intern project will document Māori community engagement with open days and public observatories as a means of achieving the goals of transformative education in a more culturally appropriate and publicly accessible form. Northland has a long history of agricultural extension services and open days on farms, but those legacies were threatened by…
The spatial dimension of cultural identity
The purpose of this summer intern project is to source information (cultural and spatial) that describes the student’s relationship to their marae in preparation for learning how to use spatial information technology to create maps of their ancestral landscapes. This project will develop skillsets of blending modern ICT with oral narratives (mōteatea, lore…
Tapuwaekōrero: Iwi Talking Map
He rangahau i ngā kōrero mō Ngāti Ira o te Tairāwhiti. Nō te wā i tuhituhia e Apirana Ngata tana tuhinga e kīia nei ko ‘Raurunui a Toi Lectures’ (Ngata A.T., 1944) ka whakawhāiti ia i ngā kōrero me ngā whakapapa o te hītori o te Tairāwhiti me tana kī kāore anō i oti i a ia, tērā ētahi kōrero nui hei whakaoti ā te wā. Kāti ko tētahi o aua kōrero nui, mō…
Building a Takatāpui Research Foundation – An annotated bibliography
This internship project seeks to create a foundational annotated database of takatāpui literature and resources, including whakawahine and tangata ira tane and other gender non-conforming takatāpui, which are often left out of the narrative.
Hauora and Pūtaiao Solutions for Te Toki Voyaging Trust
The purpose of this summer internship project is to explore the potential to develop hauora and pūtaiao solutions for Te Toki Voyaging trust in their kaupapa of kaitiakitanga and mauri ora of the marine environment through traditional navigation and sailing. The project involves wānanga with Te Toki Voyaging Trust, sailing and supporting ngā kaupapa waka…
He aha to wairua? He aha te mauri? In search of wairua and Amauri
The purpose of this summer internship project is to conduct an extensive search and review of literature relating to the constructs ‘wairua’ and ‘mauri’. In particular, the project aims to identify sources highlighting definitions and experiences of both wairua and mauri, as well as literature that speaks to how the constructs are differentiated. The…
The Cost of Doing Nothing - Health inequities between Māori and non-Māori Adults in New Zealand
This project examined the economic costs of health inequities between Māori and non-Māori adults in Aotearoa. Using both quantitative data and Māori lived experiences, it highlighted the significant social, economic, and health impacts of these disparities. The research aims to inform targeted policies to reduce inequities, strengthen Māori health outcomes…
Mai i te Mahana ki te Apakura Makariri
What can be learnt and applied now from traditional knowledge and adaptation to future environmental and resource issues? This project seeks to understand how quickly early Māori society changed from its initial wasteful use of environmental resources soon after the Polynesian migrations, to then live within its ecological means in the face of resource…
Ngā Ture o Te Tai Ao - New Laws for the Environment
How can New Zealand’s state legal system recalibrate to challenge the Crown’s assumption of sovereignty over lands and waters treasured by Māori? Drawing on the research findings of the other Te Tai Ao foundational projects, this project will lead to new laws, policies, plans and models for government and iwi/Māori communities, and will enable Māori to…
Persisting Inequalities and the Potential for Intervention through “New” Governance Models
What is the potential for new governing structures to intervene in persisting social, cultural, political and economic inequalities that disproportionately accrue to Māori? The multiple accountabilities of Māori leaders to whānau and community members, beneficiaries and external stakeholders make Māori governance challenges unique. Māori entities are…
Promoting Effective Māori Leadership and Decision Making for Prosperous Economies of Wellbeing – Te Whakatairanga i te Ārahitanga Whai Hua me te Māori te Whakatau Kaupapa
What are the distinctive dimensions and drivers of innovative Māori leadership and integrated decision making, and how do these characteristics deliver pluralistic outcomes that advance transformative and prosperous Māori economies of wellbeing? A diverse range of Māori leadership practices have contributed to the development of a Māori economy with a…
Choices and Connections for Māori Youth on the Margins
The human capital theory holds that education is a form of investment in that the individuals who are consumers of education acquire skills and knowledge that can be converted into work and income in the post-school years. but it is not a level playing field, many would argue. Some of the so-called 'toughest kids' come from very difficult home situations…
He Ara Toiora: Suicide Prevention for Ngātiwai Youth through the Arts
In 2012, a wave of youth suicides in Northland featured far too many of Ngātiwai descent. 19 people under 25 years took their own lives, a huge increase from 5 the year before (Penney & Dobbs, 2014). Suicide rates for Māori youth in Te Tai Tokerau, including the Ngātiwai rohe, is therefore a major public health issue. In recognition of this, the Ngātiwai…
Entrepreneurial ecosystem efficacy for indigenous entrepreneurs
The overarching research question is: what constitutes entrepreneurial ecosystem efficacy with respect to indigenous entrepreneurs’ innovation intentions and activity? In order to investigate this overarching research question, the following questions will be explored: (i) how do Māori entrepreneurs think about innovation? (ii) How does enterprise…
Occupying Science by Reclaiming Space and Place
How can a pūtaiao ‘living laboratory’ approach that uses local learning environments help rangatahi Māori reclaim science in Te Hiku? Our aim is to “science-up” Māori communities by exploring the untapped potential of our local environments as living laboratories for rangatahi Māori so that they become more engaged with science at school and in their lives…
Te Tira Whakamātaki – Māori Biosecurity, protecting our taonga for future generations
Our main question is ‘do hapū and Iwi views and practices provide an alternative paradigm to New Zealand’s biosecurity system to better protect our taonga species? Māori have developed practices and methods such as the use of ritenga (customs, laws, and protocols) and whakapapa (species assemblages within a holistic ecosystem paradigm) to mitigate risks and…
Te Pū o te Rākau: The pedagogy of pūrākau
What is the pedagogy of pūrākau, and how does it operate as an Indigenous story work approach to advance kaupapa Māori research and innovative contributions to broader research and pedagogical processes within Aotearoa? Given this is a scoping proposal, the following questions are pertinent to the investigation of the above research question: What is the…
Indigenous Data Sovereignty: Enduring Aspirations in a Digital Age
We have identified a set of questions relating to indigenous data governance, ownership and access, along with potential solutions for benefit sharing and value generation. What are the key challenges to realising indigenous data sovereignty and how might they be addressed? What are the key mechanisms needed to realise indigenous data sovereignty at global…
Te ruru a Te Ihonga: Threshold concepts in Māori studies
What are the threshold concepts for undergraduate study in the field of Māori studies? How can the identification of Māori studies’ threshold concepts be used to support teaching and student achievement in Māori studies programmes? According to Māori oral tradition, Te Ihonga was a demi-god who could tie intricate knots. The resulting entanglements became…
Mātauranga Māori: Enhancing Māori-medium schooling
What aspects of mātauranga Māori are relevant to Māori-medium schools, for example mātauranga pūtaiao, that promote the wellbeing of the students, the kura, the place and the community? Māori-medium schools have been significant contributors to the revitalisation and maintenance of te reo Māori over the past 30 years. However, the reintroduction of…
He Pounga: the Māori Jurisprudence Project (Stage 1)
This research seeks to investigate Māori jurisprudence. Māori jurisprudence, broadly speaking, comprises a set of tikanga and how those tikanga are used in everyday life to make decisions that affect Māori communities. For this research we wish to focus specifically on the most important institution of Māori decision-making: the hui. This pilot project will…
He rongoā tō te reo – Te Reo Māori as a form of healing
What are some of the psychological, emotional and spiritual influences that learners have experienced when learning te reo Māori? How are these influences related to past trauma or negative experiences of theirs (or others) and in what ways have these influences impacted their engagement with and learning of te reo Māori? What kinds of intergenerational…
Te Whare Matihiko o te Reo
The project aims to contribute to the intellectual infrastructure of the discipline of te reo Māori revitalisation by collating oral, visual digital and written sources, including a dictionary, thesaurus and repositories of waiata, haka, and narrative recordings. The project will answer the following research questions: How can mātauranga and tikanga Māori…
Hospital transfers: Whānau involvement in the healing equation
While all hospitalisations can be stressful for patients and their whānau, hospitalisations involving transfers away from home can be even more so and can present unique issues in terms of how whānau negotiate distance, unfamiliarity, active engagement and help-seeking. In this study, we are interested in better understanding how whānau facilitate support…
Identifying Frameworks for Effective Iwi and Hapū Development
What do alternative models to tribal corporations look like for iwi and hapū development? A wealth of historical narratives provide alternative examples of successful tribal economic development and management practices that have existed in the past. However, the last two decades have seen the emergence of a commercially successful corporate-beneficiary…
Challenges and continuities: Unintended impacts of Te Reo Māori language revitalisation efforts
We are now 30+ years on from when our children first had the opportunity to attend Kōhanga. They are a part of a fortunate generation, like those who will follow them. And so too are those that are following. But what of those older Māori, their parents and grandparents, some of who do speak te reo but many who do not? What challenges to tikanga, age…
Te Reo o te Pa Harakeke
What strategies and resources are effective in establishing te reo Māori in the home to raise first language Māori-speaking children? Te Reo o te Pā Harakeke is a three year research project that seeks to understand the factors that contribute to successful intergenerational transmission of the Māori language in the home. The first three years will be a…
Te Awaroa – 1000 Rivers in a State of Ora by 2050
Across New Zealand, many rivers are unsafe parts of the ecosystem, with Kiwis seriously concerned about declining river health. The ‘bottom line’ regulatory approach of the government's freshwater reforms requires coordinated commitment across river stakeholders. Despite the talent and commitment of existing groups, the current fragmented approaches are not…
The Intergenerational Reality for Māori Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME): Building resilience of Māori SMEs for the future
The significance of this research project lies in its contribution to deeper understand what role Māori SMEs have as critical constituents of the Māori Economy. Recent years have seen attention paid to the merit of the Māori economy, based on the potential of an economy worth an estimated $42.6bn in 2013 (Nana, Khan, & Schulze, 2015). However, this type of…
Connections and Flows: Precarious Māori households in austere times
In addition to public and scholarly deliberations regarding increased inequalities in society, this project responds to the continued socio-economic exclusion of many Māori households. We draw on recent scholarship on the precariat as an emerging social class comprised of people experiencing unstable employment, unliveable incomes, inadequate state…
Te Aho Tapu
Māori have a long association with the natural environment and are well-positioned to make important contributions to sustainably managing natural resources in New Zealand and the world. Kaitiakitanga and other practices provide a powerful foundation for developing paradigms in governance, management, caring, development and benefit-sharing of land, water…
Ngā Moemoea ō Ᾱpōpō: Empowering Taiohi Māori Leaders for the Future
This research explores how rangatahi Māori are navigating a world of deep uncertainty. Amidst climate change, poverty, injustice and cultural upheaval, this project centres Māori youth as powerful future-makers. Led by Professor Joanna Kidman, the study invites rangatahi to imagine, design, and plan thriving futures for their whānau, hapū and iwi—grounded…
Hybrid Construction Component Portable Infrastructure Solution Research
The original research pilot for this project arose out of a desire to make the transition for many whānau relocating from their city/urban lives back home, as comfortable as possible. It was felt that this could be best achieved by facilitating access to innovative solutions for essential infrastructure technologies, which would enhance the quality of life…
Te Rongoā Pastures: Healthy Animals, Resilient Farms
This research identified native rongoā plants that improve animal health and pasture resilience on farms. The project explored integrating these species into pastures to support biodiversity, reduce erosion, and enhance livestock wellbeing amid climate change. A theoretical pasture mix was developed with farmers and researchers to promote sustainable…
Pae Tawhiti: Te Kura Roa
Te Reo Māori represents an amazing opportunity to New Zealand for its potential to enrich society and culture and transform the experience and consciousness of those who are exposed to and use the language. The Māori language is an official language of New Zealand and is indigenous to our country. It is part of our country’s national character and identity…
What is the cost? Estimating the economic costs of Māori: non-Māori child health inequities in Aotearoa: a scoping study
View Report Inequalities in child health between tamariki Māori and non-Māori are largely preventable and unnecessary. An example is rheumatic fever, where tamariki Māori are 30 times more likely to contract the disease than non-Māori. Being ill as a child has a big impact on school attendance and outcomes, and it may cause lifelong disability or illness…
Te Tupunga Māori Economic Development
He Mangōpare Amohia: Strategies for Māori Economic Development Critical success factors for Māori economic development have been identified in a just released report on the three-year Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM) research programme – Te Tupunga Māori Economic Development. This significant research programme was led by Distinguished Professor Graham…
Te Rau Tītapu – Wānanga Project:
Wānanga are iwi located and managed events whose purpose is to share knowledge, create knowledge and to foster community identity, cohesion and wellbeing. Wānanga are conducted regularly by every iwi community in the country and are highly valued by those communities. Wānanga are critical events in the development of iwi/Māori communities and are perhaps…
Te Tētere Kōkiri o Te Ata: Optimising Economic Performance of Māori Land Trusts in the Waiariki Region.
The research questions for this project are; - How can active management enhance the economic performance of Māori land trusts? and, - What models of collaboration can Māori land trusts use to enhance economic performance? The aim of the project is to identify sustainable and scalable models of ‘active’ management that will enhance the economic performance…
Economic and Spatial Modelling for informed Māori Land Development
The challenge for Māori carrying out development is to determine how to balance the drivers of a neo-liberal economic approach with the very ideals and principles that define us as Māori to ensure quality social and environmental outcomes for future generations. Through a previous NPM research project "Whakatipu rawa mā ngā uri whakatipu" the team has…
Maori Engagement in NZ’s Extractive Industry (EI): Innovative Legal Solutions
This research project looks at what the basic conditions are that would need to be in place in order for whanau/hapu and iwi communities to be ready to engage with Extractive Industry (EI); enter joint ventures with EI; or undertake their own EI projects? It will also investigate what the extractive industries perceptions are of international indigenous…
Critical Success Factors for Māori SMEs: Evidence from the South
The overarching question driving this research is, what are the critical success factors for Southern Māori SMEs at the different stages of the business life-cycle? To address this question the project team will undertake an in-depth case-study of Southern SMEs and in order to answer the overarching research question, the following questions will be…
Liberating Psychologies : Māori Moving Forward
The purpose of this proposal is for interns to: - experience the ethos of the Māori & Psychology Research Unit and a culture of research excellence; - enhance their knowledge of indigenous psychology; the process of indigenising psychology; and the task of energising an indigenous Māori psychology. - engage with the research cycle and be active in…
Measuring the restoration of mauri and ecosystem services at Ōkahu Bay
Ōkahu Bay lies adjacent to Te Whenua Rangatira, occupying a dominant headland near the mouth of the Waitemata Harbour, collectively the ancestral home of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. The spiritual significance of the land was recognised by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei ancestors who sought to safeguard Te Whenua Rangatira as a place which links water, land, forest and sky…
Measuring the restoration of mauri and ecosystem services at Whenua Rangatira
Whenua Rangatira lies adjacent to Okahu Bay, occupying a dominant headland near the mouth of the Waitemata Harbour. The headland and surroundings are the ancestral home of Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei. Under the Ōrākei Act 1991, several parcels of land, including Whenua Rangatira, were returned to Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to be co-managed as a reserve with Auckland…
Do Kahawai enter rivers during summer to spawn?
The purpose of this project is to determine if Kahawai (Arripis trutta) in fact enter rivers during summer to spawn. Located in the field in the Eastern Bay of Plenty as well as at Victoria University the intern will conduct field observations and water sampling, and also collect Kahawai from the river to determine their sex and reproductive stage. The…
Tangaroa Ara Rau: Examining the Archival Material of Tangaroa
The purpose of this project is to examine the Māori and Pacific archives in the Hocken Library pertaining to Tangaroa, the ocean and the sea. The intern will undertake archival research specifically within the Hocken Library and this will form part of the initial stages of the Māori programme of research within the Sustainable Seas National Science…
Māori values in the workplace
A survey study conducted in 2012 investigated whether employee perceptions of the extent to which their organisation espoused 5 core Māori values identified in the literature (manaakitanga, wairuatanga, auahatanga, whakawhanaungatanga, and kaitiakitanga), influenced their disposition to engage in helping behaviours at work and feel more committed to the…
Harnessing Hapū Hiko
Ngāti Kea/Ngāti Tuarā recently built a micro-hydro plant at their marae, Kearoa, and this generates more electricity than the marae can use. The hapū Māori Land Trust is keen to use the electricity as part of a strategy to move away from simply managing stock to also growing vegetables in a temperature controlled glasshouse. This project involves market…
Whangapoua Harbour Mauri Model Analysis
Whangapoua Harbour is within the Ngati Huarere rohe and they are kaitiaki for the harbour which is considered a taonga. Ngati Huarere are concerned about the effects of the Matarangi Wastewater Treatment Plant discharge on the mauri of the harbour, swimming, the gathering of seafood and the wider cultural relationship that Ngati Huarere enjoyed with the…
Communicative Language Teaching for Indigenous languages
Can communicative language teaching (CLT) help save indigenous languages? This project is a review of literature on CLT and its relevance to indigenous language revitalisation. It forms part of a broader research project to examine the teaching and learning of Māori, Tahitian and Hawai’ian within universities.
Māori Law Stories
This internship project involves preliminary research for a book proposal on "Māori Law Stories". The book will aim to tell the stories behind a number of historical and contemporary legal cases involving Māori. This is in the tradition of the field of "legal archaeology" - digging up the forgotten or untold aspects of legal cases - who the people were, the…
Research Impact Evaluation
Author: Nick Allison In 2014 Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM) commissioned a report from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) to assess the economic, social and other impacts of the Māori Centre of Research Excellence. A summary of key findings from this research impact evaluation were: Communities were involved in shaping and designing over…
The contributions of Māori Knowledge to an Indigenous Psychology: Implications for psychology, education, research and practice
Māori are more likely to be assessed and treated by a health practitioner trained within a western cultural system that pays little attention to Māori worldviews. Māori continue to experience misdiagnosis, non-voluntary admissions, inappropriate psychometric testing, high suicide rates, limited choices, differences in medication regimes and poorer treatment…
Taunakitia Te Marae: Te Arawa Marae Centres of Excellence
Taunakitia Te Marae aims to research the key contributors of success that will enable marae to be centres of excellence for hapū development. It will explore with whānau, hapū and iwi the characteristics that enable or inhibit the success of marae as centres of excellence; and undertake case studies of successful models for marae that enhance hapū…
Māori Academic Socialisation and the University
Despite the proliferation of equity and diversity plans and policies that have been established in universities across New Zealand over the past 25 years, Māori academic staff make up only a very small proportion of the nation’s academic workforce (6%) and the proportion of Pacific academic staff is even smaller (2%). This study explored the ways that Māori…
Ringihia i te ketenui a Tane: The language of the stars
Astronomy is the study of the objects in the sky (stars, planets, moons, galaxies, comets etc). Traditionally Māori held great knowledge of astronomy and their studies of the night sky played an important role in everyday life. Much of this knowledge remains recorded in te reo Māori and sits within karakia, waiata, whakataukī, and within place names. This…
The contributions of Maori knowledge to an indigenous psychology; Implications for psychology, education, research and practice
Practitioner wisdom is an undervalued source of knowledge, particularly that of practitioners working successfully with Māori in uniquely Māori ways. In the field of psychology, there are some who have successfully married clinical psychology and mātauranga Māori to realise successful outcomes for those Māori clients they serve. In this study, we will work…
Optimising the Māori in Māori Economic Development – How Māori values inform investment decisions for collective assets
Some economists argue for diversity in the way collective resources are managed rather than an unquestioning faith in leaving things to the market. We support this thinking and looked at how ethics and Māori knowledge can be used equally alongside economics in managing collective Māori assets. We argue that simple measures of collective well-being used…
Māori Academic Socialisation and the University
This study investigates how Māori and other indigenous scholars make a distinctive contribution to the disciplinary knowledge bases that drive national development in Aotearoa. It explores the ways that Māori and indigenous scholars become academics; how they shape their interactions and relationships with their institutions of higher learning; how they…
South island Māori researchers gather for first-ever symposium
“The gathering was a landmark event as the first of its kind in the South Island and it showed the great increase of Māori researchers and the breadth of areas they were involved in.” -Dr Rāwiri Taonui, Head of Māori and Indigenous Studies at the University of Canterbury Twenty years ago there where only a handful of Māori researchers with PhDs in New…
Opening up new territory for Māori and business
“Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga’s MAI Doctoral Support Programme was of incredible value, especially in connecting me with other PhD students for advice.”
Shared knowledge succeeds in protecting bird population
“….a very positive experience. We were able to preserve our mātauranga and build up our capacity in field work survey and monitoring methods along with gaining a new knowledge about our manu in the process.” Toko Renata, Chairperson of the Ruamaahua Islands Trust
Dr James Ataria: Producing a better environment by matching science and tangata whenua knowledge
“I think all New Zealanders pride ourselves on being clean and green, but we are increasingly asking what we need to do to protect that…” When winning support from local authorities, these days it’s the numbers that talk. And as a scientist with Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research based at Lincoln near Christchurch, Dr James Ataria has been using them…
Hāromi Williams: Capturing a unique legacy to build a better future
“We want our children to go out from school confident of who they are, where they come from and who they represent.” “It’s important the stories people tell about themselves,” Hāromi Williams says. At her office at Tāneatua near the Urewera, where she is Executive Manager of the Tūhoe Education Authority (TEA), she explains it’s a lesson she first learned…
Helping more children succeed at school
“Teachers enter the profession because they want to make a difference. This approach helps them do that.” MORE THAN 30 years ago when Russell Bishop first started teaching at Mana College in Porirua, he was struck by a single question: Why did so many Māori students start out well but still fail as they went through school?
The iwi household whānau wellbeing project
This project investigates the wellbeing (economic indicators) of Māori households whānau of a specific iwi using New Zealand Census data from 1991–2006. This project aims to provide greater sovereignty to iwi by providing an evidence base for their decision-making through analysis of this data.
Dietary intake and its effect on early life course, with particular focus on Māori communities
Metabolic health issues such as Type 2 diabetes and obesity are increasingly prevalent in our community, in keeping with worldwide trends. There is now a considerable amount of evidence that events during pregnancy and early childhood influence the risk of metabolic disease in later life by affecting glucose and fat metabolism and possibly appetite…
Tāmaki Herenga Waka
Tāmaki Herenga Waka is the over-arching theme for a series of activities aimed at building a positive Māori consciousness and a more dynamic and connected community in Auckland City. The principle of the proverb dating from 1840 behind the name “Tāmaki herenga waka” (Tāmaki moored canoes) was to see an end of tribal conflicts in the region and that Auckland…
Exploring Mātauranga Māori for assessing volcanic hazards and improving monitoring approaches for hapū and iwi planning
This internship project contributes to a project exploring Mātauranga Māori further in terms of volcanic hazards. The research will assist to develop an authoritative compilation of scholarly, heritage and contemporary kōrero (narratives) that inculcate conceptual/theoretical forms of Ngāti Rangi, other hapū and iwi distinctive epistemology. The intern Hona…
The transfer and integration of cultural knowledge: aligning strategic, commercial and cultural objectives
The purpose of this project is to deliver key environmental, economic and cultural knowledge relevant to the Wakatu Incorporation's development generally as well as the development of its products (food and beverage) and its approach to the environmental management of its natural resources. Intern Aneika Young will help ensure the Incorporation identifies…
He Whakaoranga Kia Puta Kia Ora
This research project explores the relationship between cultural connectedness and wellbeing (as a social determinant of health). The research will provide evidence relating to wellbeing and cultural connection within and between whānau with the intent to develop an aspirational model for Waikato-Tainui. The intern Ayla Jenkins will provide support to the…
Mapping and assessment of shellfish beds in Tauranga Harbour
The intern Victoria Paul will assist with the qualitative and quantitative assessment of the distribution and abundance of shellfish throughout Tauranga Moana.The supervisor is Associate Professor Paul Kayes
Protective Factors Impacting Maori and Pasifika Student Success in Higher Education
Māori and Pasifika students are under-represented in higher education. Despite important interventions, such as The University of Auckland's Tuakana programme, Māori and Pasifika students are still under-represented in the student body. This project will rely on focus group interviews with Māori and Pasifika students from both sexes at different university…
Antiviral and anti-inflammatory activity in Kawakawa leaf extract
Traditional use of plants for medicinal purposes is a feature of indigenous human societies. The biological principles that underpin many such traditional remedies has been established using various scientific methodologies. In New Zealand, Kawakawa (Macropiper excelsium) has been used in Rongoa Māori (traditional Māori medicine) to alleviate a variety of…
Recreational shellfish survey in Tauranga Harbour
The intern Wiremu Smith will detail recreational fishing hotspots within Tauranga Harbour, especially shellfish and identify species found at each location. He will also observe fishing activity and approach a selection of harvesters to ask permission to ask them some questions about their fishing activity, and carry out interviews with recreational fishers…
Mining impact assessment using the Mauri Model
This is an extension of the Mauri Model based assessment conducted in 2011/2012 which assessed the impact of fracking on the Blood Tribe's lands in Ontario. The findings of this research will be extended by encompassing the input of the Iwi affected by consents issued to allow mining exploration activities in the Taitokerau and Heretaunga rohe. The intern…
Establishing a space-time dataset as the basis for assessing future spatial changes in indigenous agroecology practice
Intern Mariana Pagan will work with Dr Marion Johnson, CSAFE Otago University during summer 2012-13. This project will scope and implement the collection and storage of land cover spatial data using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies. The project will be based on Te Putahi, Banks Peninsula a case study farm…
In pursuit of the possible: Indigenous well-being - A study of indigenous hope, meaning and transformation
We know many of the key elements for social transformation, but what is not known is how to actively stimulate them at the right time, pace and scale, with the appropriate self-correcting mechanisms and forms of resource support provided at moments of need. This research project aims to create a new tool, namely an internationally comparative model of…
How do we return the mauri to its pre-Rena state?
This research project evaluated and monitored the environmental, social, economic and cultural impacts of the grounding of the ship Rena on Otaiti, with a particular focus on the impacted areas of Maketū, Mōtītī, and Pāpāmoa. The research team led by Dr Kepa Morgan incorporated an assessment of the mauri of the impacted people within these areas and their…
Fostering te pā harakeke: Advancing Healthy and Prosperous Families of Mana
This research project aims to determine how whānau might flourish. The researchers, led by Professor Mason Durie, focuses on six themes – the characteristics of flourishing whānau; profiling the contemporary lives of Māori whānau; exploring the cultural realities of modern whānau; identifying the necessary resources (cultural, social, economic) for whānau…
Waka Wairua: Landscape heritage and the creative potential of Māori communities
This research will unravel heritage threads and leadership principles that connect New Zealand and Polynesia. It will explore narratives relating to entrepreneurial leaders, including the early navigators who travelled between Tahiti, Rarotonga and New Zealand. The project will also examine outstanding Māori heritage landscapes in New Zealand and their…
Reo Māori ki ngā Rorohiko o te Kura: Internship Report
Author: Tara Dalley. Supervisor: Dr Te Taka Keegan The aim of this research was to determine the level of awareness and willingness to use software with a te reo Māori interface by the Māori medium education sector. The literature describes the importance and function of language in culture, society and as a part of identity; te reo Māori is an important…
Māori Youth Employment: Internship Report
Author: Nimbus Staniland. Supervisor: Professor Charles Crothers This report introduces quantitative analyses of Māori youth employment and occupational status using data from the New Zealand General Social Survey (NZGSS) issued by Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) in 2008 and 2010. This research project was conducted as a piece of a larger project entitled…
Marginalising Māori Parents: Internship Report
Author: Elizabeth Jurisich Strickett. Supervisors: Associate Professor Helen Moewaka Barnes and Dr Tim McCreanor. This report was written while undertaking a Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga internship with Whāriki, SHORE and Whāriki Research Centre, Massey University. The review topic of marginalising Māori parents arose out of a report on rangatahi and sexual…
Impacts of Fracking on Indigenous Reservations in Alberta: Internship Report
This internship applied the Mauri Model Decision Making Framework to assess the impacts of fracking on an Indigenous reservation in Alberta, Canada—highlighting environmental, cultural, and social consequences. The findings offer valuable insights for future oil and gas decisions in Aotearoa.
Transformations of entrepreneurial tribal Māori leadership: Internship Report
Author: Raaniera Te Whata. Supervisor: Dr Merata Kawharu As there has been no major analytical works on contemporary Māori leadership, the purpose of this project is to contribute to addressing this knowledge gap by examining entrepreneurial tribal Māori leadership and the role it can play in the revitalisation of wealth in New Zealand in terms of culture…
Phonological development in Māori speaking preschoolers: Internship Report
Author: Joshua Tahana. Supervisor Dr Elaine Ballard This report outlines the background for a study to be undertaken tracking phonological development (speech skills) in Māori for Māori speaking pre-school children. Although there is a substantial body of literature on how children develop speech sounds in English we know nothing about the developmental…
Aue Ha! Māori men’s relational health
This project addresses the crucial gap in previous research by studying the everyday lives and positive relationships of Māori men in the context of men’s health. Māori men face many challenges in maintaining health and in developing meaningful and culturally patterned relationships.
Tiakina Te Pā Harakeke: Māori childrearing within a context of whānau ora
Tiakina Te Pā Harakeke is a project focused upon tikanga and mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) models of wellbeing for whānau, with Te Pā Harakeke being a metaphor for whānau wellbeing. The project seeks to share with whānau and others, knowledge about successfully raising children in ways that are grounded within tikanga Māori, and have been and continue…
Indigenous Agroecology
Agroecology, grounded in local knowledge and communities, applies ecological principles to agricultural systems. Indigenous agroecology is an opportunity for mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and totohungatanga Moriori (Moriori knowledge) to inform and generate innovation in farm practices. It focuses on guardianship of the land and the waters that flow…
An investigation into the fisheries resources and interests of iwi, hapū and marae within Tauranga Moana and the impacts caused by the grounding of the CV Rena
This Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga research project aims to assess the status of selected taonga shellfish (including pipi, tuatua, kina and pāua) resources within the Rohe Moana o Tauranga Moana, and the impacts caused by the grounding of the cargo vessel Rena on these fisheries and iwi ability to manage them. The Rena grounding highlighted to iwi the threats…
Networks of support for Māori mental health: The response and recovery of Tangata Whaiora through the Ōtautahi earthquakes
This research looked at how the 2010/11 earthquakes in Ōtautahi (Christchurch) have affected Māori mental health communities. The research team led by Dr Simon Lambert focused on how the support networks for Tangata Whaiora (a term applied to Māori mental health clients that translates as people seeking health) and their whānau responded and recovered…
Ka Awatea: An iwi case study of Māori students experiencing success
This Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga project incorporates most of the secondary schools and wharekura within the Rotorua school zone. From the literature, data gathered, and the matching and discussion of this information; the research team’s aim is that educators, parents and whānau will better understand the nature of teaching, learning and home socialisation…
Kaumātua Ngā Kuia: Taonga Aroha
The Life and Living in Advanced Age; A Cohort Study in New Zealand (LILACSNZ): Te Puāwaitanga o Ngā Tapuwae Kia Ora Tonu is the first large-scale study of people in advanced age in Aotearoa, New Zealand and the only longitudinal study of people in advanced age that includes a large number of Māori people. The overall study, funded by the Health Research…
Ōkahu Bay restoration: Internship report
Author: Ani Kainamu, Supervisor: Dr Dan Hikuroa. This project fulfils part of the Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga summer studentship project that looks at the elements of ecological and Mauri restoration at Ōkahu Bay. This current study focused on the population abundance and distribution of marine benthic shellfish pipi (Paphies australis) and common cockle…
Construction Workshops with Uku
This research project developed from a need to solve a problem for Māori: to find a more cost-efficient, sustainable building technology than timber for papakāinga housing. The roots go back to the 1990s, when timber costs increased and Dr Kepa Morgan first explored alternative technologies overseas such as dome housing in Canada. From 1994-1998 Kepa was…
Te Kotahitanga: Improving the Educational Achievement of Māori students in Mainstream Education
Over 30 years ago when Professor Russell Bishop started teaching he was struck by a single question: Why did so many Māori students start out well but fail as they went through school? Bishop, Professor of Māori Education at the University of Waikato, and colleagues interviewed Year 9 and 10 high school students, their families, teachers and principals from…
Through Our Eyes: Mapping the Social Landscapes of Māori Youth
This research project focused on Māori youth and documenting their social territories using multi-media visual data generated by the participants, in conjunction with wānanga and university-based practitioners and students in photography and film media. The researchers employed new methods in visual sociology and worked collaboratively with Māori youth and…
Ngā Tātai Rangahau: Connecting Māori Education Research Literature 1980-2004
This project reviewed published literature relating to Māori education, in the compulsory schooling sector, from 1990 to 2008. The researchers concluded as a general finding that there is a need for increased commitment and resourcing of research across all aspects of Māori education and schooling. It is also clear that there remains limited research…
Science, Mātauranga Māori and Schools
This project examined current practices for measuring Māori participation and achievement in science and mathematics, investigated student experiences of science and mathematics in English medium and Māori medium schools and investigated the views of whānau, parents, caregivers and teachers of Māori students regarding science and mathematics education. To…
Whangaia te hinengaro: Reading to learn in te reo Māori
This project focused on kaiako literacy instruction practices and tauira learning pertaining to reading comprehension and Māori vocabulary development. It involved five Kura Kaupapa Māori schools located in rural communities or small rural townships. Kura staff and researchers were involved in a collaborative process involving the collection, analysis and…
Social Change in Eastern Bay of Plenty: Outcomes of the Forestry Industry on Māori Communities
The objectives of this research were twofold: first, to assess the societal impacts of the forestry industry on the wider Māori community as a result of the presence of the Whakatāne Board Mill and the Kawerau Norske Skog Tasman Mill in the Bay of Plenty region and second, to examine; (i) the extent to which employment at the mills has provided social…
Eugenics, Race ideologies and Biotechnology in Aotearoa: a Scoping Study
This research project examined the extent to which eugenics and race theories as discourses promoted certain forms of relationships that played a key role in defining social structures for both Māori and Pākehā.
Towards the development of guidelines for handling, use and storage of Māori genetic material in research
Efforts have been made to develop protocols for the use and handling of blood samples, but at the time of this study starting, the formation of guidelines that take into account the needs and views of Māori had not been completed. Guided by Kaupapa Māori research methodologies, this study acknowledged He Korowai Oranga (The Ministry of Health’s Māori Health…
Ngā tāngata Māori i noho ai i tāwāhi: Māori Communities Abroad
This project explored how Māori migrants, while striving for greater economic development, have nonetheless been able to maintain a distinctive Māori identity. A particular focus of the research was how these overseas Māori groups see the relationship between their cultural identity as Māori and their pursuit and achievement of economic success. The project…
Ko te huarahi ki mua: Roads for change
This project sought to identify and assess the damage done to Papatūānuku (Mother Earth) by chemical contamination from road construction in the Auckland metropolitan area, and to consider ways in which she may be healed. The research team built collaborations between Ngāti Whātua, Manaaki Whenua and key stakeholder organisations such as Transit New Zealand…
He pūau awa – he ūngututanga mātauranga
This research project aims to characterise the possible effects of agricultural and industrial activity on the well-being of the Mataura River, using an approach that includes a monitoring framework developed by Ngāi Tahu alongside ecotoxicological methodologies. Ngāi Tahu concerns over the increasing degradation of the catchment have underpinned this…
Te Mana o Tūhoe – Kaumātua Narratives of Rūātoki Marae
This project had three goals: to build community research capacity; to collect, gather and record kaumātua narratives; and to create a teaching resource for Tūhoe schools. Central to this project was the engagement by Ruatoki community and in particular it reinforced the important role kaumātua play as sources of knowledge. Another key theme was concerned…
Tuia, Tui, Tuia: An exercise in hybridity
This research project asked the question “What new and interesting performance works can be created when two or more music traditions talk to each other, and can these culturally hybrid artistic forms communicate knowledge about a musical other?” Dr Te Oti Rakena explored new ways of approaching performance practice and studio practice, extending the…
He Rauheke Kura Taketake: A Descent of Treasured Origin
This scoping exercise investigated how He Rauheke as a contextual framework can be developed and applied to the field of early intervention to inform assessment, early identification, programmes of intervention, and evaluation processes.
Use of advanced technologies to develop culturally appropriate pest-management strategies for rural Māori communities
Current methods for the control of possums, primarily aerial broadcasting of sodium fluoroacetate (i.e. “1080”), are often at odds with the needs of rural Māori communities. Large-scale aerial broadcasting can lead to widespread, indiscriminate by-kill of native and introduced animals important to the environmental, cultural, and economic well-being of…
Tū Whare Ora – Building Capacity for Māori Driven Design in Sustainable Settlement Development
There is emerging awareness among Māori that mātauranga Māori and Māori values have an important part to play in papakāinga design as well as in modern urban planning and settlement design. This research project, based on a number of hui, a Māori research collective, dialogue with policy and planning professionals, collaborative learning, case studies and a…
Ngāi Te Rangi Iwi Community Action Research Project
This research was a community action research project dedicated to identifying ways in which to advance Te Reo Māori within the homes of Ngāi Te Rangi whānau. The research team worked with whānau to develop strategies for ‘learning interventions’ that can operate within the community, and within the home. The results indicate that increasing language in the…
Population size and the rate of evolution: energy is only half the story
This project builds on an earlier Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga study led by Dr Shane Wright that shows faster evolution occurs in more productive, high energy, tropical climates. This is the first research worldwide to demonstrate this. This subsequent project took a global dataset to compare rates of evolution for sister bird species in small and large area…
Mauriora ki ngā Oi – Hauraki traditional knowledge of grey-faced petrels
In this research project, Hauraki traditional knowledge concerning the harvest of oi (oi, grey-faced petrel, Pterodroma macroptera gouldi) on the Ruamaahua (Aldermen) Islands was recorded and analysed. The harvest of oi linked Hauraki individuals to culture, ancestors, individual well-being and tribal identity. It also maintained mana, kaitiaki…
Māori women speak back: Our stories, laws and histories
This research grew from the concern about how to stimulate discussion and debate within Māori communities about the role of Māori women, in the past, present and future. This research sought women’s stories, in order to let Māori women speak about how they perceive their relationships to the state, environment and others in their communities. This research…
He moemoeā mō Ahuriri: A vision plan and health assessment for the Ahuriri Estuary
The Ahuriri or Napier Estuary is of significant value to both tangata whenua and the Hawke’s Bay community as a whole. Historical and current environmental pressures, together with some questionable management processes over the years, had caused an almost total cultural disconnection between the tangata whenua and the estuary.
Future Moves in Māori Dance
This research project contributed to a growing body of critical analysis and examination of Māori dance and performance as a primary form of cultural expression in which the synthesis of diverse cultural and historical influences is contributing to a redefinition of Māori culture. Outputs • Video, Ka Mau te Wehi, 2008 • Exhibition Tūrangawaewae, 2006…
Māori and assisted human reproduction: An exploratory study
This research explored Māori views and access to Assisted Human Reproduction (AHR). The researchers carried out a series of interviews with key stakeholders to identify key themes, and a number of hui were run to ascertain broader Māori views towards infertility, use of AHR, AHR policy and legislative change, and the interface between tikanga Māori and…
Kaupapa Māori epidemiology in health research: Finding our own standards
A Kaupapa Māori epidemiology is sensitive to the demographic circumstances of the Māori population. Itreinforces the development of policy and practice that is responsive to Māori. A Māori standard population (or indigenous standard) brings Māori from the margins to the centre of the epidemiological frame.
Bring ‘Me’ Beyond Vulnerability. Elderly Care of Māori, by Māori
This research project led by Dr Mere Kēpa undertook a series of interviews and focus groups to answer how Māori people can humanise the care of elderly Māori. The researchers identified significant shortcomings in healthcare services for elderly Māori outside urban areas and made recommendations to government agencies, service providers and whānau based on…
Amplifying youth voices: The synthesis of two major youth research studies on taitamariki
This research project integrated two distinct but complementary pieces of research to amplify the voices of young Māori who entrusted their experiences, opinions, and ideas to the two research teams; and to speak back to those who might implement change for them. The two projects were the National Secondary School Youth Health Survey Youth2000, and Youth…
Mangoroa: a collaboration between a digital artist and a sculptor
This project has two artistic outcomes, Aniwaniwa and UFOB. Both of these artworks were exhibited and generated ongoing public exhibition opportunities and interest. The themes addressed were rising sea levels in the Pacific caused by global warming and flooding of landscapes to generate hydroelectric power. Outcomes Exhibitions UFOB Biennale of Sydney 2006…
He Kumete Kōrero: An Adult Māori Literacy Study
This project challenged the definition of literacy used in New Zealand compared with definitions used overseas and focused on the importance of orality and listening for Māori, based on the premise that without orality and listening, there’s no literacy for all cultural groups. The researchers found that Māori literacy is complex and is equally about…
Responding to the changing pattern of the HIV/AIDS epidemic
This research project sought to answer a fundamental question: What do Māori men who have sex with men need in order to reduce their risk of HIV infection? The researchers in order to answer this focused on the significance of identity from both a cultural and sexual perspective. The research recognises that Māori men who have a strong sense of their…
Te Reo, a language for Māori alone? An enquiry into the views of Māori
This research study canvassed Māori opinion at flax-roots level on the idea that te reo Māori, their language, be shared by all New Zealanders. A wide range of views and various types of data were gathered, and the response to the question of whether Maori could be considered a language for all New Zealanders signalled an affirmative response. However…
A new paradigm for evolution: Does the flow of energy determine the rate of evolutionary change?
Dr Shane Wright (Te Āti Hau, Tūwharetoa) is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Auckland. The idea for this research project started to form in his twenties, when he was travelling the world as a gofer for science teams and noticed how plant diversity changed with altitude.
Knowledge and reporting of a concussion by young sports persons
A concussion implies a temporary disturbance to brain function and can be serious. A medical consultation to judge the severity of the injury, and to specify a management plan are important. Failure to do so can lead to subsequent injury and may impact the individual’s schoolwork and social interactions. Understanding why some players don’t report a…
Tikanga Pākihi/Tikanga Māori: The Impact of Business Practices on Māori Organisations and their Communities
The purpose of this research is to investigate what influences business practices have on Māori organisations and their communities. Current business ideology does not acknowledge or recognise tikanga Māori, nor does it differentiate between Māori and Pākehā business practices. The research team are examining the diversity of Māori organisations and their…
Te Kokonga Ngākau – mō wai te mātauranga?
This project examined Māori resilience, with particular reference to Māori systems of assessment and management of issues pertaining to mental health and wellbeing. In New Zealand, the researchers proposed, we have two different epistemologies and two different systems of knowledge, which rarely intersect and this is the case in the field of mental health…
“He Aha te Hau e Wawa Ra?” The Life History of Joe Hawke
Joe Hawke was a young boy when his people were forcibly removed from the place he knew as home; the Ngāti Whātua papakāinga at Ōkahu Bay, which was burned to the ground in a move regarded by the government of the day as the best resolution. The destruction of the papakāinga was one of numerous events dating back to the nineteenth century which saw…
Constructing Respectful Relationships
This research project adopted an approach which is grounded in Māori cultural values and beliefs to answer three questions: what are the dreams, aspirations and goals that whānau in the Porirua community have for their own development; what are the major areas of concern for these whānau which may in fact prevent them from achieving their dreams; and…
Kaupapa Māori Methods: Sharing our Experiences
This project involved gathering and mapping the whakapapa kōrero of four land, river, coastal pathways in the rohe of Ngāti Apa. The researchers worked with four whānau to research and identify old walkways or travel paths.
The Politics of Privilege Scoping Project
This study on the nature of privilege sheds light on how those with the least advantage are positioned to seem as though they are receiving ‘special benefits’, while unearned advantages that accrue to the privileged remain invisible and unscrutinised, particularly by those that benefit the most from them. Participants’ constructions of privilege emphasise…
Essential Services for Isolated Communities
People living in isolated communities often live in homes that lack essential amenities such as clean reliable water, energy or power sources, vehicle access, telecommunications and waste management systems. Under these circumstances the health and safety of whānau, in particular the most vulnerable (kaumātua and pēpi) can be compromised and placed at risk…
Tetrodotoxin in Kaimoana: Science and Mātauranga Mitigating Health Risks from a Lethal Neurotoxin
The Hauraki Māori Trust Board and the Cawthron Institute collaborated in this research project which stemmed from a spate of dog deaths on the beaches of Tikapa Moana (the Hauraki Gulf) in August 2009. The dogs died from the poison tetrodotoxin (TTX) and this poison was present in sea slugs that had washed up on beaches. It became apparent research was…
The making of indigenous personhood: a comparative assessment of legal processes for the establishment of indigeneity
Project Purpose: Settler societies such as Aotearoa New Zealand are fundamentally founded on the encounter between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. As the Europeans expanded their territorial rule, they had to come to terms with how to regulate their relations with the indigenous peoples they encountered. Part of that entailed establishing legally…
AWHI – Aunty Whakahaere Hapunga Initiative
Project Purpose: Timely registration rates with lead maternity carers (LMC) for Māori are low, and research is critically needed to investigate methods of reaching Māori women sooner and to encourage engagement with health professionals. The project aims to trial a novel intervention delivered by community health workers (CHW) who will find pregnant Māori…
Ōkahu Bay Restoration Project
Project Purpose: The Ōkahu Bay Restoration Project is being undertaken by Ngāti Whātua ki Ōrākei and is an all-encompassing restoration project. Ngāti Whātua ki Ōrākei are working with The University of Auckland, Auckland City and NIWA. The first phase is determining baseline and historical conditions of Ōkahu Bay and compiling the information into a GIS…
Ways of Being Māori updated: Characteristics, Attitudes and Behaviours of Urban Māori
Project purpose: To analyse patterns in the characteristics, attitudes and behaviours of Māori distinguished by various attributes e.g. urban/rural, different definitions of Māori ethnicity, in order to reveal some of the major ways in which Māori vary. The programme of work to be carried out Review relevant literature on the topic of urban Māori and ways…
Publishing the Te Kawa a Maui Student-Built Atlas
Project purpose: To facilitate the publication of map layers that students 2009-11 have contributed to the TKAM Atlas, and secondly to organise and analyse student feedback data related to their Atlas work, for publication in a journal article. http://www.victoria.ac.nz/Māori/research/atlas/default.aspx The programme of work to be carried out: 1. Organise…
Reo Māori ki ngā Rorohiko o te Kura
Project purpose: To determine what factors affect the usage of computers in te reo Māori by students in the schooling sector? The programme of work to be carried out: Identifying Māori Medium Schools that could possibly undertake computing in Māori, then contacting them and querying them on their usage of te reo Māori in the children's computing activities…
Transformations of entrepreneurial tribal Māori leadership
Project purpose: The project is a Marsden Fund grant that examines entrepreneurial tribal Māori leadership. For 40 years there has been no major analytical work on contemporary Māori leadership. The economic condition of Māori tribal groups has changed dramatically during that time, from a state of resourcelessness to a new phase of socio-economic…
Mate Māori - Kōrero Kaumātua
Project purpose: Mate Māori - Kōrero Kaumātua is a project within Te Puawaitanga o Ngā Tapuwai Kia Ora Tonu - Life and Living in Advanced Age: a Cohort Study in New Zealand (The LILAC Study NZ). The purpose of Mate Māori - Kōrero Kaumātua is to document the knowledge of Mate Māori held by the oldest old Māori (aged 80-90 years). The term mate is used for…
Māori networks and the Otautahi earthquakes: their role and future prospects
Project purpose: This research project aims to promote and deepen New Zealand’s understanding of Māori and their culture by ensuring that the stories and voices of Māori affected by the Canterbury earthquakes are heard, respected, valued and incorporated into relevant learning and planning environments. We know that the scale of damage from the recent and…
Scoping study of the impacts of fracking on indigenous reservations in Alberta using the Mauri Model decision making framework
Project purpose: Assist indigenous resistance to petrochemical exploitation of Papatūānuku The programme of work to be carried out: Investigation and identification of fracking impact upon ecosystem and indigenous perspective of impact upon mauri of identified indicators using the Mauri Model decision making framework. Day to day nature of the work…
Māori Problem Gambling: Too many chances
Project purpose: Hapai Te Hauora Tapui Ltd was set up in 1996 with a specific focus on Māori Public Health. The shareholder organisations are: Te Runanga o Ngāti Whatua, Raukura Hauora O Tainui and Waipareira Trust. Hapai provides public health leadership and advice to each of these providers and subcontract health promotion services back to these…
Whakapakari Reo Māori
Project purpose: To carry out a literature search and review on the topic of language revitalisation – with a focus on Māori language (particularly the Rongomaiwahine/Ngāti Kahungunu dialects where possible). The programme of work to be carried out: Search and review the relevant literature focusing on the key words: Māori language, resources…
Marginalising Māori Parents
Project purpose: Parents of young children, as the intimate stewards of a new generation, carry the weight of societal expectation upon their often youthful shoulders. While it is true that parenthood has probably never been more scrutinised by communities, institutions and the state at large, leaving almost all parents feeling pressured, it is also the…
Whenua Ora-Tangata Ora
Project purpose: Whariki Research Group is involved in collaborative, action-oriented research working with hapū and iwi in the field of Whenua Ora-Tangata Ora. One key project involves kaitiakitanga practices that are seeing improvements across a range of domains including the restoration of Lake Omapere and the Utakura Valley. The health, integrity and…
Constructing a tidal phase response curve in the marine isopod Eurylana
Project purpose To investigate the mechanisms controlling the timing of behaviour of the marine isopod Eurylana (the sea louse) over the tidal cycle and to collect preliminary data on the phase responsivenessof the tidal clock to artificial tides. The programme of work to be carried out The project will measure the effect of simulated tidal pulses given at…
Good-practice Guidelines for Supervising Māori Postgraduate Students
Project purpose: The importance of producing more Māori doctoral and other postgraduate qualification completions, for Māoridom and New Zealand society generally is well understood – Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga set specific goals towards it, the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative and Ako Aotearoa have funded research about it, and the Tertiary Education…
The phonological skills of Māori speaking four year olds: a pilot study
Project purpose: The project is a pilot for a larger project tracking phonological development (speech skills) in Māori for Māori speaking pre-school children. Although there is a substantial body of literature on how children develop speech sounds in English we know nothing about the developmental trajectory in Māori. This pilot will give us the…
The PATH Planning Tool and its potential for Whānau Research
The purpose of the project is to reflect on the value of the use of the PATH planning 6 key tool in the Whānau Ora context and the contribution this has made to realising the Whānau Ora goals. Currently the tool is being used in two specific areas: a) to assist whnau in planning for their future via Whānau Ora provider collectives b) to train a pool of PATH…
Blue Economy Aotearoa
Project purpose: In the face of climate change, peak oil and food insecurity Māori land trusts face serious challenges to retain and economically develop Māori land. Traditional operations of sheep, beef, dairying and forestry may not be as profitable in the future or fit a world that seeks to reduce carbon emissions and use greener technology. Some Māori…
What is the cost?
Inequalities in child health between tamariki Māori and non-Māori are largely preventable and unnecessary. An example is rheumatic fever, where tamariki Māori are 30 times more likely to contract the disease than non-Māori. Being ill as a child has a big impact on school attendance and outcomes, and it may cause lifelong disability or illness. There are…
Working towards an integrative freshwater co-management model in New Zealand
Māori have expressed a desire to be involved in freshwater management in a way that reflects their values. This remains a challenge both for Māori communities and government agencies. Māori groups wanting to work with government on freshwater management often do not have the capacity to access the wide range of processes, structures and tools available to…
Adélie Penguin Population Response to Climate Change in the Ross Sea, Antarctica
This scoping project focussed on determining the Adélie penguin population's responses to climate change. It also successfully lifted the profile of Māori participation, contribution and leadership in the Antarctic research and science. This project was completed in 2008.
Te Pae Tawhiti: Te reo Māori
Led by Dr Rawinia Higgins and Associate Professor Poia Rewi, this research investigates how Te Reo Māori supports economic development, cultural identity, and social cohesion. It focuses on increasing language participation and fluency, while deepening understanding of the language’s value across diverse contexts to strengthen revitalisation efforts and…
He rito whakakīnga whārua: Language value and development in communities
Even after 30 years of Māori language revitalisation movements, the Māori language continues to be in a perilous state. Despite these efforts there is no one method that can stem the decline as societal factors still impact adversely on language development. The most successful Māori language revitalisation movements are those located at the ‘flax-roots’…
Te Kura Roa – Waiaro: State responsiveness towards the Māori language
There are multiple Government funded initiatives aimed at addressing Māori language decline, including increasing the amount of Māori Language spoken, maintenance and quality. Te Puni Kokiri (2006 Health of the Māori Language Report) touched on the attitudes of wider New Zealand society towards the Māori language as unengaging and unlikely to change in the…
Trends in wellbeing for Māori families 1981–2006
This project is contributing to the key policy area of whānau ora/ family wellbeing via new analysis of the wealth of data contained in the six national household censuses of 1981 to 2006. Indicators of family wellbeing have been developed to identify trends across 25 years with the team having produced several reports and publications on measuring changes…
Te Pae Tawhiti: Māori economic development
Led by Distinguished Professor Graham Smith, this iwi-partnered research programme explored Māori-led economic development grounded in mātauranga Māori. Working with Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and Ngāpuhi, the project developed a framework to support intergenerational wellbeing and guide future policy and practice.
Kanakana harvest mātauranga: Potential tools to monitor population trends on the Waikawa River, Southland/Murihiku?
The population of kanakana (piharau, lamprey) is poorly understood and believed to be declining. In Murihiku concern for this taonga species led to this research in the Waikawa River.
Triangulating on the mechanism for the lunar clock: Insights from the Māramataka and science
The researchers will use wānanga, catch information, laboratory experiments in which the lengths of the day-night and tidal cycles are systematically varied, and simulation modelling to: identify similarities and differences between the Māramataka and science in understanding of the lunar rhythm; develop a consistent analysis and interpretation of patterns…
Te Ataakura: Re-connecting voyage collections in archives and museums through the creation of digital taonga
This project draws together in digital form taonga exchanged during European voyages to Polynesia between 1765 and 1840. The digital format helps increase knowledge of the collections and reconnects iwi with their taonga held in archives and museums worldwide. Principal Investigator Dr Wayne Ngata has developed associations with institutions, principally…
Adapting principles from rongoā into ecologically and culturally sustainable farm practice
This project examines rongoā (traditional Māori knowledge of medicinal plants) to find ways to improve animal health naturally, and overall, manage farms with respect for the land. Principal Investigator Dr Marion Johnson was a farm manager in the UK when she received a scholarship to study environmental biology and returned to university. She later arrived…
Computer decision support to aid sustainable customary use of taonga species
Rakiura Māori muttonbirders and researchers collaborated to build and test a computer-based decision support package to allow individual kaitiaki to choose optimal harvesting strategies on their own whānau’s ancestral birding ground. They tested whether or not the tool builds understanding of consequences of current harvesting levels for their mokopuna’s…
The ethics, processes and procedures associated with the digitisation of the Pei Jones collection
The late Dr Pei te Hurinui Jones (Ngāti Maniapoto), one of Māoridom’s leading scholars, amassed a significant collection of books, manuscripts and taonga during his lifetime. His son Brian Hauāuru Jones donated the vast majority to the University of Waikato and a room, He Mahi Māreikura, was established in 2004 especially to house the collection. The room’s…
He Iho Reo: Developing a “tool-box” to support Māori language transmission and maintenance
Otago has very low numbers of Māori language speakers – French is the most widely spoken second language in the region. Given this context, it is important that any interventions aimed at revitalising and maintaining the Māori language are evidence-based. There is ample research on second language acquisition but little that shows the actual as opposed to…
Commercial feasibility of using mātauranga Maori-based fish traps to eliminate bycatch – Phase 2
The commercial fishing industry is a complex system, and one issue that can hamper the success of fishing companies is the inadvertent capture of fish that are not target species. Under the Quota Management System, if a company has limited quota for a non-target species then fishing for target species has to stop once the limited quota of non-target species…
Exploring a Māori classificatory system of flora and fauna within Tainui waka
For many years, the knowledge of indigenous peoples has been the preserve of Western anthropologists and ethnographers. Like other indigenous people, Māori are concerned with the ongoing neglect, misuse and erosion of traditional ecological knowledge. This is further compounded by the loss of key knowledge holders over the years and their scarcity today.
Virtual Repatriation: A database of Māori taonga in overseas museums
There are more than 16,000 Māori treasures held in overseas museums, art galleries and allied institutions. Unfortunately, the knowledge about many of these taonga has been mainly confined to museum personnel, academics and scholars who have visited these institutions. Māori people have been largely dislocated and alienated from their taonga and been the…
Towards the New Whare Tapere: The creative potential of mātauranga Māori in the performing arts
Whare tapere were pā based ‘houses’ of storytelling, dances, music, games, puppets and other entertainments. This research explores how fragments of traditional knowledge concerning the whare tapere can be used in a contemporary arts project. The Ōrotokare Trust, led by principal investigator Professor Charles Royal, commenced this research in 2008. It…
Aituā: Death in a changing Māori World
Tangi is the ultimate form of Māori cultural and community expression. Addressing the dearth of scholarly information, this study considers tangi practice, whakapapa, changing environments, community values, sharing knowledge, ritual and what it means to be Māori. The research team has been examining the life-values, beliefs and practices related to…
Effective leadership for educational reform
This project set out to identify what might constitute effective leadership of educational reform that seeks to raise the achievement of students not currently well served by the system. The hypothesis was developed from a further examination of the relevant literature supported by a series of in-depth interviews, conducted in 2005 and 2006 with leaders in…
The impact of gambling on Māori
This research was carried out on behalf of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga. The primary research aim was to find out how Māori individuals and whānau have been affected by problem gambling and the strategies they have taken to address this issue.
Mum, I want to be an Engineer: Differential access to high ability mathematics standards
We don’t have many Māori or Pacific Engineers and we need them. The University of Auckland’s Engineering degree programme is challenging and lists Level 3 Mathematics with Calculus as a compulsory prerequisite for consideration to enter. It has become common practice for secondary schools to stream by ability (for Mathematics) as early as Year 9 and…
Organisational pre-requisites to fund implement and sustain a Māori health promotion model in a primary care setting.
Health promotion was traditionally delivered within a public health setting in New Zealand. With changes to primary care delivery, health promotion is increasingly delivered within the primary care setting due to national strategy changes aimed at improving health outcomes. Rather than dealing primarily with the individual in a treatment and support role…
Ngā Tikanga Mate: Māori death and burial customs
The rise in cross-cultural marriages between Māori and other cultural groups in Aotearoa New Zealand has raised the issue of who decides where a deceased Māori person is to be buried, after they die, when his or her partner is not Māori. There are several reported recent cases where whānau Māori have intervened to take a person back home for burial, often…
He Reo no te Whenua:The establishment of a Māori-centric conservation paradigm
The research team for this project in collaboration with Ngāi Tūhoe have sought to actively engage tanagata whenua with all agencies that support building capability in management of wild populations of Whio (Blue Duck). Whio is one of New Zealand’s national iconic wildlife species. Their presence within our rivers symbolises the completeness and health of…
Commercial feasibility of using mātauranga Māori based fish traps to eliminate bycatch
The commercial fishing industry is a complex system, and one issue that can hamper the success of fishing companies is the inadvertent capture of fish that are not target species. Under the Quota Management System, if a company has limited quota for a non target-species then fishing for target species has to stop once the limited quota of a non-target…
Whatukura: A bioengineered model of the human eye
This project is developing a computer based bioengineered model of the human eye to give greater insight into eye disease and treatments. This will help patients and families better understand their eye and vision exams, and have improved clinical outcomes, says Jason. “It’s hoped with this computer program, the clinician can show a family member what the…
Mātauranga Māori of naturally occurring toxins in native plants: Potential for Possum Control
Māori have voiced a range of concerns regarding the aerial application of 1080 bait and expressed the view that alternatives to 1080 are needed. One idea is that there may be toxins already present in plants in New Zealand's ecosystems that could perform well as alternative pest control tools.
Kia areare ki ngā Reo o ngā Tīpuna
This research project’s origins date back 27 years when Dr Joe Te Rito helped establish local Māori radio station Radio Kahungunu at the Hawke’s Bay Polytechnic, Taradale. Joe saw how the dialect of his iwi Rongomaiwahine-Ngāti Kahungunu was diminishing in quality, in terms of grammatical and spoken fluency, with each generation. The station was to fill the…
The Donald McLean Papers: Letters in Māori
First a public servant in the Native Lands Purchase Department then later MP for Napier and Minister for Native Affairs, Sir Donald McLean (Makarini) was a major architect in the most formative period of our colonial history (c.1850–1880). His fluency in te reo Māori and his willingness to visit Māori in their own communities gained the respect of many…
Māori whānau experiences of neonatal care experiences
The premature birth of babies is a highly stressful and tense event for whānau. The care of such babies is focused within hospital based Neonatal Intensive Care Units.
Au e ihu! Nga Morehu Taua
This project has involved the digitisation and categorisation of a diverse range of tāonga from the 28 Māori Battalion, D Company veterans and their families, including videoed interviews, handwritten and typed letters and other documents, and photographs of people, places and personal objects. These have been assembled together in a dynamic, searchable…
Restoring the Mauri to Rotoitipaku (Industrial waste site)
The Ngāti Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau iwi places great significance on Te Kete Poutama, an area that encompasses Lake Rotoitipaku near Kawerau, because it has been integral to their economic, cultural, spiritual and social wellbeing for generations. Tasman Pulp and Paper, now Norske Skog Tasman Ltd., leased the area for dumping waste in 1971 and it became the…
Harvesting the Fruits of Papatūānuku
Māori have used geothermal waters and materials for centuries, yet in contemporary times only a few iwi groups have developed their geothermal resources, even though geothermal energy has sustainable and renewable attributes. One barrier to development has been a clear pathway that incorporates kaitiakitanga responsibilities into the development process.
Body area networks in medical information and communication technology for ubiquitous medical monitoring
This research aimed to develop a Body Area Network using novel ideas from swarm intelligence and, in particular, Ant Colony Optimization. A Body Area Network is a network of sensors (sometimes mobile sensors) outside or inside the human body. Examples are ‘smart’ clothing where the network is typically a network of sensors recording human body biometric…
The Restitution of Marae and Communities through Mahinga Kai
Māori are increasingly taking on environmental management roles (often on a voluntary basis) that juggle the responsibilities of both traditional networks and government regulations. The focus of this scoping project was to identify the barriers, obstacles and potential solutions to conducting research in the area of local customary fisheries from a flax…
Māori and the Waitangi Tribunal: History, crisis and healing
Historical trauma is a term commonly used by Native American researchers who have investigated the impact of past relationships between native populations and settler governments on current and future generations of Native Americans. The significance of their research is the emphasis placed on creating healthy, sustainable indigenous futures whilst…