We focus on producing research of academic excellence and ensuring its outcomes contribute to the communities we work with. Some examples include:

• A Waikato University project is digitising the Pei Jones collection. As part of the project, the team has set up a free, open access online macron restoration service which can automatically add the correct macrons to Māori texts. It is now being used by the Ministry of Justice for transcribing the proceedings of the Waitangi Tribunal and Māori Land Court hearings.
• Dr Shaun Ogilvie is looking at tetrodotoxin levels in the Hauraki Gulf, in partnership with the Hauraki Māori Trust Board, following the dog poisoning cases of 2009. The aim is to develop a mitigation framework to allow local marae to manage any potential risks associated with TTX and kaimoana in Tikapa Moana
• Dr Dan Hikuroa was invited by the Ngāti Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau iwi trustees to help resolve the issues arising from the dumping of waste at Te Kete Poutama. Dan is working with them to create a pathway for restoring the mauri to the area which other communities can follow.
• Te Mana o Ngāti Rangitihi Trust and Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga have a collaborative agreement which facilitates research that benefits Ngāti Rangitihi. Dr Dan Hikuroa is currently leading research into the Matatā lagoon, looking at the impact of governmental environmental actions and decisions on the cultural and social well-being of Ngāti Rangitihi.
• The research project Bring ‘Me’ Beyond Vulnerability: Elderly Care of Māori, by Māori (Kei hinga au e, kei mate au e: Te Tīaki a te Māori i te hunga kaumātua Māori) led by Dr Mere Kēpa identified significant shortcomings in healthcare services for elderly Māori outside urban areas and made recommendations that were taken up by government agencies and District Health Boards. Dr Kēpa is now part of a longitudinal study, Kaumātua Ngā Kuia:Taonga Aroha looking at elderly wellbeing.
• Dr James Ataria involved local tangata whenua from the outset when he wrote an assessment plan for the Ahuriri Estuary, supporting a local vision for stewardship. The team is also developing an online tool aimed at Māori to explain the Resource Management Act, local planning and other legislation.
• Research by Professor Russell Bishop, Te Kotahitanga: Improving the educational achievement of Maori students in mainstream education – a longitudinal study of two schools was taken up and funded by the Ministry of Education for use in professional development courses for teachers.
• The research project Construction Workshops with Uku, led by Dr Kepa Morgan and Rau Hoskins, focuses on building material that uses earth reinforced with flax fibre or muka. This demonstrates real potential for housing with a long design life at low cost. This research was built on by another team as the basis for delivering an online educational resource in Te Reo Māori.
• Dr Manuhuia Barcham carried out a scoping project Working towards an integrated freshwater co-management model in New Zealand: the case of the Karamu Stream which went onto gain funding from FRST due to NPM's initial support. Dr Barcham worked with the Ngāti Hori to create a management plan for Te Karamu River, and this has extended to three other marae, and the DOC now come to the Ngāti Hori for advice on similar projects. 
• Professor Michael Walker and his team through the project He Reo no te Whenua: the establishment of a Māori-centric conservation paradigm facilitated hui with agencies, iwi and trusts to foster partnerships. Through the monitoring of Whio (blue duck), conservation and wildlife-management skills have been transferred to key individuals from the local Māori community.