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This Kaupapa Māori research centred Māori worldviews, values, and lived experiences. It drew on legal analysis and case study work to investigate how tikanga Māori is reshaping law and dispute resolution in Aotearoa’s climate-conscious future.

This research is at the cutting-edge of expanding legal research theory, methodology and legal knowledge in the development of a bijural legal system in Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2021, Te Kōti Whenua Māori initiated a new tikanga-based dispute resolution process, in response to amendments to the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993.

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.

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 how digital narratives of tohunga can be curated to support and enrich the multiliteracies of ākonga, particularly in Te Tai Tokerau. At its heart, Tohunga Talks is a collaborative digital storytelling initiative grounded in Te Tai Tokerau mātauranga tuku iho, Kaupapa Māori research approaches, and the Mana Model.

In collaboration with Te Weu Charitable Trust, this research seeks to address critical gaps in our understanding of climate change impacts and adaptation strategies specific to Māori communities in Te Tairāwhiti.