Te rangiwhāwhā o ngā Atua Māori: The widespread influence of atua Māori in a modern world

What are the implications of reclaiming and reviving the mātauranga associated with nga atua Māori and how does it contribute to reimagining the role of atua Māori in the modern world?

How and why are atua Māori, and associated mātauranga, being referenced in different fields today? For example: Sport, recreation, and nutrition; Health and environmental sciences.

What are recent examples of the application of mātauranga associated with atua Māori in teaching and research? For example: Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo; Dr Rangi Matamua's research in Māori Astronomy.

What are the gaps in our knowledge, particularly in the literature and archives, about atua, that is, which atua do we know the least about?

This project seeks to understand the place of ancient knowledge in modern times. It aims to understand atua Māori in a contemporary context, and is guided by the question, 'what are the implications of reclaiming and reviving mātauranga associated with atua Māori, and how does it contribute to reimagining the role of atua Māori in the modern world?' As this is a seeding project, it will rely heavily on archival research to build its foundations, with particular effort in returning to original Māori language manuscripts.

This will be supported through interviewing key experts, repositories of mātauranga Māori, and practitioners who reference atua Māori in their work. The goal for this method of research is to determine, what are the gaps in our knowledge about atua, that is, which atua do we know the least about? Furthermore, how and why are atua Māori, and associated mātauranga, being referenced or used in different fields today (for example, sport and nutrition, and the health and environmental sciences)? Finally, what are recent examples of the application of mātauranga associated with atua Māori in teaching and research?