Research and Scoping Projects

Project lead: Professor Waikaremoana Waitoki (Ngāti Hako, Ngāti Māhanga), The University of Waikato | Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

The ACT Party introduced the Treaty Principles Bill in 2024, proclaiming to protect everyone’s equal rights before the law. The Bill has sparked immense debates over the Crown’s attempt to rewrite the articles of te Tiriti o Waitangi and undermine Māori tino rangatiratanga.

Project lead: Dr Te Wai Barbarich-Unasa Ngāti Paoa, Waikato, Ngāti Maniapoto AUT University | Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau

Type 2 diabetes continues to be a major health challenge for Māori, who are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed and face more severe and life-threatening complications than non-Māori (Holder-Pearson & Chase, 2022).

Despite decades of intervention, mainstream services have largely failed to improve outcomes for Māori—highlighting the need for culturally grounded, whānau-centred solutions that better reflect Māori realities and aspirations (Tane et al., 2021).

Kimi Ora is a kaupapa Māori diabetes lifestyle programme delivered by Te Kōhao Health in Kirikiriroa. Since 2018, it has supported over 400 participants through a holistic, clinically informed model that centres kaupapa Māori and whānau wellbeing (Masters-Awatere et al., 2021).

Project lead: Dr Ani Kainamu Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research

Across Te Tai-o-Araiteuru, mana whenua must dispute the controversial issue of ‘kina barrens’; a biased view that is used to increase commercial kina quota.

Although mana whenua have intimate knowledge of their rohe moana, the current decision-making process priviledges Western science. There is little known scientific information about the stock or the impacts of fishing on the kina population within this coastline; except a questionable quota-owner led survey in Moeraki.

Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) requires Te Tiriti partnership by supporting multiple knowledge in decision-making. We aim to contribute to existing partnerships and ensure robust evidence. Utilising multiple-methods this research project draws on mātauranga of kina and associated systems as taonga.

Project lead: Professor Tom Roa (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato, Ngāti Apakura), The University of Waikato | Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

This project will document Māori-led responses to climate change through a Te Ao Māori (Māori worldview) lens, focusing on the connection between Māori communities and their ancestral whenua (land).

Through wānanga (digital storytelling workshops) and interviews, the research will explore how Māori of the Waikato-King Country region have addressed in the past and are addressing today the effects of climate change through their deep understandings of traditional knowledge and innovative Māori solutions.

Project lead: Dr Riri Ellis Ngati Raukawa, Ngai Te Rangi, Ngati Tahu The University of Waikato | Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

Sustainability disclosures are central to the ongoing global debate about accountability in sustainable business practices. However, their voluntary and unregulated nature, along with inconsistent definitions, standardised titles, formats and contents, complicate their interpretation, raising concerns about the reliability and comparability of the disclosures, particularly in Aotearoa New Zealand, where there are significant corporate governance concerns over ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting and climate-related financial disclosures.

Limited existing literature highlights a holistic approach of Mātauranga Māori to support sustainability. Business practices in this context should align with the spirit of sustainable development: ‘Manaaki Whenua, Manaaki Tangata, Haere whakamua.’

Project lead: Dr Mahonri Owen (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), The University of Waikato | Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

Additive manufacturing technology (3D printing) can be used to accelerate the design/development process, reduce material waste, minimise cost and create personalised solutions for challenges faced in industry. 3D printing is often used in conjunction with other technology to leverage its advantages toward the improvement of human life.