Research Overview

Raaniera Te Whata (Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Moerewa, Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui), University of Otago

The overall aim of this thesis is to discover Tautoro whakapapa kōrero (important kin-community events/narratives of the distant and recent past) and strengthen the contemporary shape and flow of hapū:

1) mana tūpuna (the influence of ancestors, their leadership and deeds);
2) mana tangata (the confidence and vitality of hapū, whānau and individuals) and;
3) mana whenua (the power associated with the land, including inherited rights, power of control and the protection and conservation of especially sacred sites), and
4) tikanga (customary protocols that determine what is right and wrong in the local socio-physical environment)

Stephen Gibbs (Ngati Tamanuhiri, Ngati Rangiwaho, Rongowhakaata, Rongomaiwahine), Massey University

Toi Tamanuhiri – Hua Uri Kuri –Mana Moana, Mana Whenua, Mana Tangata

As a prelude to my research, the first part of my process was the curation of a series of Iwi based exhibitions that were held at Tairawhiti Museum - Gisborne, Verve Café  - Gisborne and Ngai Tamanuhiri Marae in Muriwai south of Gisborne, over the period of December 2013 – March 2014.

The curation process involved the establishment of an Iwi taonga data base and an Iwi artist’s database. This lead to establishing networks with a number of national and international museums and associated agencies. Other curatorial project’s followed. These included ‘Rangiwaho – Ihu Ki Te Moana’ an iwi collaborative project that I designed and curated, for the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England (2018) and ‘Tū te Whaihanga – an acknowledgement of creative genius. Tairawhiti Museum (2019), where I was co-curator with Eloise Wallace and exhibition designer.

Rev Wayne Te Kaawa (Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Awa, Yūhoe), University of Otago

The aim and objective of this project is to publicise what a Christological Creed or Faith Statement would consist of using Māori whakaaro rather than a western Christian hermeneutical framework. The expected outcome of this work is to stimulate discussion in the Māori ecumenical Christian community concerning an authentic Christological Creed that is based on mātauranga Māori whakaaro. 

Rory M.S. Clifford (Kai Tahu, Kāti Māmoe), University of Canterbury

The aim is to publish a research article on the findings of my research into the effects of Stress on Decision Making, Communication and Situational Awareness, applied to Air Attack Supervision Training in Aerial Firefighting. This will target the Sage journal of Simulation and Gaming, https://journals.sagepub.com/home/sag which is indexed by Scopus (CiteScore 1.570).

Koroumatai Kody Pewhairangi (Ngati Ira, Te Whanau a Apanui, Ngati Porou), Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi

The legacy of oral compositions by Tuini Ngawai and Ngoi Pewhairangi - the relational values of whanaungatanga informinga self-determining model of hapu development in action.

Jessica Gerbic (Ngāti Pūkenga, Ngāti Pikiao), The University of Auckland

Māori mothers are a taonga (treasure precious) for Māori society in the role they play for Whānau, hapū and iwi. The age when wāhine have tamariki has never been a barrier within Māori culture. Yet the process of colonisation has significantly impacted the status of young Māori wāhine through targeting, isolating and misrepresenting their lived realities in their journey into and through motherhood. This disconnect has been amplified through western research, government policies and media representation.