Doctoral Projects

Christine Elers (Ngāti Kauwhata), Massey University

The broad aim of this research is to utilise the culture-centered approach (CCA) to foreground the voices of Whānau Māori, whose lived experiences reflect socio-economic disadvantage and voice erasure from mainstream and Māori discursive spaces. The CCA is an approach to social change communication that emphasises the nuances of listening to communities (Dutta, 2014); centering their knowledge claims, strategies and solutions that are often tied to structural injustices. The CCA method intentionally centers Whānau Māori as the experts of their own realities.

By building infrastructures for listening and co-creating platforms for voice, community participatory communicative spaces emerge often disrupting the hegemony of knowledge production and decision-making by dominant actors for the very Whānau and communities who have been erased from these sites of participation.

Kahurangi, Tipene (Waikato Tainui), University of Otago

I raro i ngaa parirau o te whakatakanga Marsden o Associate Professor Karyn Paringatai, he aronga taaku ki te titiro atu ki ngaa takahanga, ki ngaa wheako whaiaro o ngaa whaanau e mau nei ana i te taonga CDH1 gene mutation i mua i te aroaro o taatou te tangata, oo ngaa kaiwhakahaere hauora. Tee mahi o te tangata e kapo kau ana i ngaa wheako o ngaa taangata, o ngaa whaanau, noo reira, ko taaku, he kohi i ngaa wheako aa-rata, aa-hauora nei kia aahei te hunga kaiwhakahaere hauora te tiaki pai nei i ngaa taangata o ngaa ira rerekeetanga.

Kiri West (Ngāti Marutūahu), The University of Auckland

The New Zealand government has indicated a willingness to consider the application of Māori data sovereignty (MDS) in the storage, management and governance of data-sets held by them. To what extent is there alignment between the principles of Māori data sovereignty (as communicated by Te Mana Raraunga) and the government’s current data infrastructure? What are the barriers to the successful implementation of MDS, both from a state perspective, as well as from the perspective of Māori?

Essie Van Zuylen (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu), University of Otago

Jovan, Mokaraka-Harris (Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Wai), Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Wai

Awhina Ruby Pitiroi (Ngati Tuwharetoa, Ngai Tai, gati Raukawa, Waikato-Maniapoto, Tuhoe), Victoria University of Wellington

My background is in Kura Kaupapa Māori education. I have led various water enhancement projects around Lake Taupō and adjoining waterways over 20 years of teaching within a localised, kaupapa Māori water education framework. An awareness of various ritualistic engagements and the spiritual dimension of water has developed through these projects alongside Ngāti Tūwharetoa kaumātua.

While water is central to survival, rituals have an important role to play in binding societies and strengthening connections to the environment. The primary research question is therefore: What are the customary water rituals of Ngāti Tūwharetoa?