Project Purpose: Settler societies such as Aotearoa New Zealand are fundamentally founded on the encounter between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. As the Europeans expanded their territorial rule, they had to come to terms with how to regulate their relations with the indigenous peoples they encountered. Part of that entailed establishing legally defined mechanisms to standardise these relations. Amongst other things these legal mechanisms involved developing legislation that defined who was and was not an indigenous person. This process of encounter literally meant that new forms of personhood were being made up in colonies across the world.

The purpose of the project is to reflect on the value of the use of the PATH planning 6 key tool in the Whānau Ora context and the contribution this has made to realising the Whānau Ora goals. Currently the tool is being used in two specific areas:
a) to assist whnau in planning for their future via Whānau Ora provider collectives
b) to train a pool of PATH Facilitators in Ngā Puhi and Te Arawa.

Project purpose: The project is a pilot for a larger project tracking phonological development (speech skills) in Māori for Māori speaking pre-school children. Although there is a substantial body of literature on how children develop speech sounds in English we know nothing about the developmental trajectory in Māori.

The purpose of this project is to deliver key environmental, economic and cultural knowledge relevant to the Wakatu Incorporation's development generally as well as the development of its products (food and beverage) and its approach to the environmental management of its natural resources. Intern Aneika Young will help ensure the Incorporation identifies, retains and records - and then adapts for application to the Incorporation's work, the cultural knowledge that exists now amongst its owners, but has yet to be captured and analysed for effective use. The supervisor is Kerensa Johnston.

Project purpose: The project is a Marsden Fund grant that examines entrepreneurial tribal Māori leadership. For 40 years there has been no major analytical work on contemporary Māori leadership. The economic condition of Māori tribal groups has changed dramatically during that time, from a state of resourcelessness to a new phase of socio-economic development particularly as a result of Treaty settlements and new tribal (iwi and hapū) businesses.

PhD Candidate: Kapua O’Connor (Ngāti Kurī, Pohūtiare)

Primary Supervisor(s): Professor Tracey McIntosh

Project purpose: To analyse patterns in the characteristics, attitudes and behaviours of Māori distinguished by various attributes e.g. urban/rural, different definitions of Māori ethnicity, in order to reveal some of the major ways in which Māori vary.

The programme of work to be carried out

Project purpose: To carry out a literature search and review on the topic of language revitalisation – with a focus on Māori language (particularly the Rongomaiwahine/Ngāti Kahungunu dialects where possible).

The programme of work to be carried out: Search and review the relevant literature focusing on the key words: Māori language, resources, revitalisation and dialects; and write the results up as a paper of 3,000 to 5,000 words. This is the main task and will be commenced from day one and be completed by the end of February 2012.

Project purpose: Whariki Research Group is involved in collaborative, action-oriented research working with hapū and iwi in the field of Whenua Ora-Tangata Ora. One key project involves kaitiakitanga practices that are seeing improvements across a range of domains including the restoration of Lake Omapere and the Utakura Valley. The health, integrity and sustainability of ancestral lands, waters, forests, mahinga kai, wahi tapu and nohoanga are critical social and biophysical determinants of the health and wellbeing of Māori people and Māori communities.