19DSC02
Doctoral Thesis
Project commenced:Aaron Smale (Ngati Porou, Nga Puhi, Whakatohea), Victoria, University of Wellington
Although there is a significant research showing Maori are over represented in negative social statistics, there has been very little research connecting these statistics to the impacts of abuse in social welfare custody. For Maori to flourish, particularly those in hard to reach communities such as gangs and prisons, this narrative needs to be told. My research will help victims and wider society understand the impacts this dark chapter in New Zealand history has had on Maori and the country as a whole. This understanding will lead to more effective responses to those impacts.
One of the reasons this topic hasn't been well researched is because those who went through these institutions have ended up on the margins of society - gangs, prisons and in other hard to reach groups. Through my work as a journalist I have broken the silence around what happened in these institutions and created a space for survivors to be heard. One of those spaces is a Royal Commission and in various media that have followed up my coverage. I have good contacts among these groups and an established credibility through my previous work. This will give me a head-start in the research for my PhD.