Kia Tō Kia Tipu - Seeding Excellence

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 area of Rongoā Māori where matters such as inappropriate usage, intellectual property rights and commercialisation of information are of significant concern.

Particular aspects of research and practice of Rongoā Māori have created discussion and in some instances, dissension among Māori communities.  Research frameworks such as Kaupapa Māori theory (Pihama, 2010) have been developed for Māori communities, but these do not specifically address the many layers and complexities of research on Rongoā Māori.

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