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 sciences.

What are recent examples of the application of mātauranga associated with atua Māori in teaching and research? For example: Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo; Dr Rangi Matamua's research in Māori Astronomy.

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. There are high costs involved, both for the health system and for society.

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 perceptions of home affect decisions to access services (education, health, financial, etc.?). If so, how?
How can services be improved to incorporate these views / perceptions of home?

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?

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 to understand and experience pregnancy and birth using Māori concepts, frameworks and practices while many other Māori experience pregnancy and birth within a largely Western or mainstream biomedical system of processes and practices without recourse to Māori knowl-edge or support.

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?

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 engaging with rangatahi health and mental health consumers, key informants, stakeholders, and the wider community to gain insight into their experiences, perspectives and expert knowledge and identify the gaps, needs and solutions relating to rangatahi mental health.

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?

Intern: Kendrex Kereopa-Woon

Supervisor: Dr Waikaremoana Waitoki

University of Waikato