Projects

PHD Candidate: Coral Wiapo (Ngati Whātua)

Primary Supervisor(s): Dr Sue Adams 

Hineitimoana’s research is a critical biography of her grandmother, Tuaiwa (Eva) Rickard, a Tainui Ngāti Koata woman known for her influential role in the Māori land rights movement of the 1970s.

This Kaupapa Māori literature review examined how cannabis and methamphetamine use is discussed in Aotearoa, with a focus on Māori experiences and implications for health and justice responses.
The research, part of a wider postdoctoral project, informed a journal article.

This internship explored how tikanga Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi are transforming Aotearoa’s legal landscape through case law and legislation. Guided by Associate Professor Linda Te Aho, interns gained hands-on research experience and contributed to a wider kaupapa on iwi-led legal and historical narratives.

This internship focused on Indigenous Science curriculum through a kaupapa Māori lens, producing a literature review of Māori and global Indigenous approaches.
Working with Te Koronga and the Centre of Indigenous Science, the intern gained hands-on experience in kaupapa Māori research and curriculum development.

This internship compiled a bibliography of politics research by kairangahau Māori, supporting more inclusive and responsive political studies in Aotearoa.
Guided by a multidisciplinary rōpū, interns built research skills and helped shape future pathways for Māori in politics and policy.

This project supported the co-development of eHealth tools in surgery that reflected Māori cultural values and health perspectives.
The intern reviewed pre- and post-operative practices to identify opportunities for culturally responsive design and improved communication with Māori patients.

This internship explored the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on wellbeing across communities and workplaces through an in-depth literature review.
In collaboration with NPM and Methodist Mission Northern, the intern gained research and community engagement experience to inform future kaupapa.

This internship explored the wellbeing and identity of wāhine Māori in rugby, highlighting barriers and opportunities through a systematic literature review.
The project offers insights to better support wāhine Māori in sport and beyond, with findings submitted for publication.

This project explored archival and historical material across Aotearoa and the Pacific to inform a whare metaphor for the new Centre of Indigenous Science at the University of Otago.
The intern contributed to kaupapa Māori research within Te Koronga, gaining skills in research praxis, literature review, and kaupapa setting.

This internship explored Te Atiawa knowledge, perspectives, and values to help develop a research model grounded in Te Atiawa mātauranga. Drawing on lived experience and community connections, the project supports efforts to strengthen spiritual, emotional, and physical ties between Te Atiawa and their Tupuna Mounga, Taranaki.

This internship explored what motivates Ngāpuhi Year 5/6 students to succeed, revealing diverse expressions of success grounded in whanaungatanga and wellbeing.
Supervised by Professor Melinda Webber, the project highlights the importance of fostering connection and rangatiratanga in education.

This internship supported the design of a survey to capture health system perspectives on decolonisation in Aotearoa. Working within a Kaupapa Māori research team, the intern contributed to stakeholder engagement and survey development—laying the groundwork for future research into how decolonisation is understood and actioned across the health sector.

This internship explored archival sources for Māori knowledge and stories about kākāpō, supporting efforts to protect this taonga species.
Guided by NPM researchers, the intern contributed to public education strategies connecting mātauranga Māori with conservation.

This internship explored how Maramataka Māori and mātauranga can be meaningfully integrated into English and Māori-medium education in Aotearoa.
It supported the protection and sharing of tohunga knowledge through research and a symposium connecting Indigenous educators across the Pacific.

Through the 2022/2023 Borrin Foundation – Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Legal Research Internship, two Māori students explored the growing recognition of tikanga Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi within New Zealand law and policy. Guided by Associate Professor Linda Te Aho and Te Hunga Rōia Māori, the interns delved into case law, legislation, and iwi knowledge to examine how foundational Māori concepts—like Te Mana o te Awa and Te Oranga o te Taiao—are influencing legal and environmental frameworks.

Bridging marine science and Mātauranga Māori, this internship helped develop learning resources for Cawthron Institute’s aquaculture and freshwater programmes—strengthening research through Indigenous knowledge.

This project explored Māori experiences of grief and mourning by reviewing existing literature to identify key insights and gaps. The findings will support the development of a culturally grounded model of grief, informed by mātauranga Māori and guided by experts in tangihanga and bereavement.

The internship focused on developing an openHAB plugin that understood commands in te reo Māori for smart home systems. Supervised by Associate Professor Te Taka Keegan and others at the University of Waikato, the project enhanced the intern’s skills in software development and smart technology. The open-source plugin contributed to creating technology supporting te reo Māori revitalisation and its future use.

This internship project explored how trauma affects Māori youth who offend, and their whānau, aiming to inform more responsive youth justice policy. Through a systematic literature review and development of a policy brief, the research examined how lived experiences and Māori approaches to trauma can shape more effective, whānau-centred legal responses.