On the Monday before the start of this year's International Indigenous Research Conference, NPM successfully hosted three important pre-conference workshops:

Indigenous Data - Indigenous Sovereignty Workshop

This pre-conference summit focused on Indigenous Data Sovereignty and its application in a range of national and local settings. Critical questions explored included: What does Indigeonous Data Sovereignty mean? What are the philosophical and legal foundations for Indigenous Data Soverienty? How can Indigenous rights and interests in data be secured? Who benefits from Indigenous Data Sovereignty and how? 

Speakers included Ceal Tournier (First Nations Information Governance Centre, Canada), Rawiri Jansen (Te ORA), Will Edwards (Data Iwi Leadership Group), Maggie Walter, Maiam nayri Wingara (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ID-Sov group) and Vanessa Clark (Maori ICT Fund).

Kai mārika ("Absolutely Food"): Indigenous Food Sovereignty Workshop

Hosted by the Mira Szászy Research Center and Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM) this workshop was designed to connect Indigenous scholars from across Aotearoa and the world who are working on or interested in working on Indigenous food sovereignty to help foster global network of scholars working on Indigenous food sovereignty, which could then lead to a stronger research community and potential collaborations that could benefit Indigenous communities who are pursuing food sovereignty projects.

Speakers at this workshop included Professor Kyle Powys Whyte (Michigan State University) and Associate Professor Mānuka Hēnare (University of Auckland), and also included presentations from others active in this area of research.

Indigenous Early Career & Post-Graduate Workshop

This workshop provided an opportunity to discuss and share research theories, methods and publishing practices as well as delivering a chance for networking. 

The discussion was a mix of informal, interactive and round-table sessions with international and national academics who already have successful research careers, and also provided a special insight into a new research project focused on the early careers of Māori/Indigenous researchers.

The day was hosted by Distinguished Professor Graham Hingangaroa Smith (Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiarangi) and Dr Meegan Hall (Victoria University of Wellington).

Speakers also included Dr Donna DeGennaro (Unlocking Silent Histories and University of North Carolina, Wilmington), Dr Carwyn Jones (Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington), Dr Joanna Kidman (Victoria University of Wellington)  Dr Marama Muru-Lanning (James Henare Research Centre, University of Auckland), Dr Sarah-Jane Tiakiwai (Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development) Dr Amohia Boulton (Whakauae Research Services Limited) and Dr Waikaremoana Waitoki (University of Waikato), Associate Professor Jenny Lee-Morgan (Te Mata Punenga o Te Kotahi) and Ms Rangimarie Mahuika, University of Waikato.