Whakaaweawe Impact Grants

Project Summary

The project builds on a case study, “Ko te whaea te takere o te waka: Māori mothers as navigators of change,” which examined Māori mothers as key change-makers for their whānau. 

In 2025, the Waitangi Tribunal marks 50 years since its founding. This new collection, edited by Carwyn Jones and Maria Bargh, will bring together Māori scholars to reflect on the Tribunal’s impactful work across key issues like whenua, awa, taonga, and rangatiratanga. It will highlight the enduring significance of Tribunal findings for Māori communities, despite ongoing challenges in government response.

Project Summary

This project is part of a ‘circular economy’ research project based on a Jobs for Nature’ [J4N] river restoration programme, Toitū te Hakapupu, being undertaken by Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki (Puketeraki) in East Otago. 

Project Summary

This project translates the findings of lead researcher Dr Ngahuia Mita’s doctoral research Tairāwhiti Waka, Tairāwhiti Tāngata; Examining Tairāwhiti Voyaging Philosophies into practical printed and digital resources, to be shared with tamariki, rangatahi and whānau across Te Tairāwhiti and Aotearoa. 

This research, grounded in Kaupapa Māori and mana wāhine methodologies, explores the experiences of Māori mothers and whānau during the perinatal period. It highlights the expertise of Māori birthing parents and identifies strengths and solutions to address inequities in perinatal mental health care.

Māmā Aroha, the first Indigenous breastfeeding app, is being updated and enhanced to better support Māori whānau. Grounded in a Kaupapa Māori approach, this project explores how digital tools can uphold the whakapapa of waiū and strengthen intergenerational knowledge around breastfeeding.