Projects

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.

This internship applied kaupapa Māori methodology and Mana Wāhine theory to analyse interview data from the E Tū Wāhine, E Tū Whānau project. Working with leading researchers, the intern explored culturally grounded ways to support wāhine and whānau wellbeing, while challenging harmful stereotypes around Māori women and domestic violence.

This internship explored media coverage of the Pae Ora Act 2022, analysing tone, key messages, promises around Māori health outcomes, Treaty and equity framing, and budget considerations. Working with Associate Professor Bridgette Masters-Awatere and Dr Amohia Boulton, the intern contributed to a wider HRC-funded study by theming and analysing media content to better understand how the Act has been publicly represented.

This communiqué was developed by the Indigenous Data Sovereignty Collab held at the 10th International Indigenous Research Conference (IIRC22), 15-18 November 2022.

PhD Candidate: Jennifer Tokomauri McGregor (Ngati Raukawa (Waikato))

Primary Supervisor(s): Dr. Alayne Mikahere-Hall

Māori youth are vastly over-represented in New Zealand’s justice system — a clear sign that the system isn’t working for everyone. This project aims to change that.

This project explores hapū data sovereignty for Ngāti Tiipa, using tikanga to protect and manage data for whānau. It tests a Māori data privacy framework with Ngāti Tiipa’s digital databases, drawing on their mātauranga to guide decisions on data privacy and sovereignty.

Toiora, Hauora is a Kaupapa Māori arts-based collaboration that theorises the pedagogy of Māori creative practices, specifically focusing on how Māori arts can support flourishing Māori whānau wellbeing.

Despite growing calls for anti-racism in education, many interventions fall short of meaningful impact. This kaupapa Māori project listened directly to Māori students in Northland to document their lived experiences of racism in schools. These insights are now laying the groundwork for an innovative intervention: a virtual reality (VR) simulation that allows teachers to experience the classroom from the student’s perspective. The ultimate aim? To shift beliefs, behaviours, and institutional norms — creating culturally safe learning spaces where Māori can thrive.