Victoria University of Wellington

Research on the impact of COVID-19 on Māori tends to highlight its negative outcomes. This strengths-based research project examines improvements in Māori wellbeing that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

This project explored how Ngāti Kea/Ngāti Tuara are revitalising their role as kaitiaki of Horohoro maunga near Rotorua. Faced with ecological threats from pests and limited access control, the hapū is leading efforts to restore native biodiversity and protect culturally significant whenua. Their story sheds light on Māori approaches to achieving a predator-free Aotearoa by 2050.

What are the threshold concepts for undergraduate study in the field of Māori studies?

How can the identification of Māori studies’ threshold concepts be used to support teaching and student achievement in Māori studies programmes?

This research seeks to investigate Māori jurisprudence. Māori jurisprudence, broadly speaking, comprises a set of tikanga and how those tikanga are used in everyday life to make decisions that affect Māori communities. For this research we wish to focus specifically on the most important institution of Māori decision-making: the hui.

This research explores how rangatahi Māori are navigating a world of deep uncertainty. Amidst climate change, poverty, injustice and cultural upheaval, this project centres Māori youth as powerful future-makers. Led by Professor Joanna Kidman, the study invites rangatahi to imagine, design, and plan thriving futures for their whānau, hapū and iwi—grounded in ancestral strength and collective vision.

Te Reo Māori represents an amazing opportunity to New Zealand for its potential to enrich society and culture and transform the experience and consciousness of those who are exposed to and use the language. The Māori language is an official language of New Zealand and is indigenous to our country. It is part of our country’s national character and identity.