After a very busy period, the NPM whānau are looking forward to a period of rest, reflection and recuperation.

Last month we virtually hosted more than 600 participants at our 10th International Indigenous Research Conference. With open access keynotes, concurrent paper sessions and collabs, IIRC22 provided multiple forums for Indigenous researchers to come together and share, strategise, listen and learn. 

The four collabs were a new format for IIRC22 and proved a flashpoint for collective thinking and action. The Indigenous Data Sovereignty Collab issued a conference Communiqué, calling on universities to stop data harming Indigenous communities, and to address specific issues relating to Indigenous data ownership, control, access, analysis and storage. You can read more here. The collab teams will continue to meet over the next year to deepen connections and scope opportunities for ongoing collaboration.

Meanwhile we were pleased to see that Te Ara Paerangi - Future Pathways White Paper contained key recommendations from the submission by Te Pūtahitanga collective of Māori scientists and researchers. The White Paper sets out a high level vision for reform of Aotearoa’s RSI system which includes embedding Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We shared some of our initial reaction on the White Paper with the Science Media Centre.

Finally, the last day for our NPM secretariat for 2022 is 21 December and we will re-open on 9 January 2023. 

We wish everyone a joyful and relaxing break with loved ones and leave you with one of our favourite road trip jams for te wā o Hineraumati - Kalega.

Ngā Pou Matarua | Co-Directors

• Professor Tahu Kukutai

• Professor Linda Waimarie Nikora