The University of Auckland

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Inequalities in child health between tamariki Māori and non-Māori are largely preventable and unnecessary. An example is rheumatic fever, where tamariki Māori are 30 times more likely to contract the disease than non-Māori.

Intern

Keely Ranga, University of Otago

Supervisor

Dr Jade Tamatea, Waipapa Taumata Rau; The University of Auckland

Overview

Underpinned by a Kaupapa Māori methodological stance, this project seeks to undertake research at the interface of mātauranga Māori and surgery to produce resources that will practically improve care for whānau who have an apronectomy.

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.

This research programme dives beneath the surface to expose how efforts to address racism in Aotearoa can be symbolic, sidelining Māori worldviews and limiting true transformation.

Led through a kaupapa Māori lens, this programme challenges narrow, imported definitions of racism and equity, and confronts how dominant systems create and maintain Māori ‘vulnerability’. It aims to reframe equity on Māori terms—grounded in rangatiratanga, Indigenous knowledge, and the realities of colonisation.

Despite growing calls for anti-racism in education, many interventions fall short of meaningful impact. This kaupapa Māori project listened directly to Māori students in Northland to document their lived experiences of racism in schools. These insights are now laying the groundwork for an innovative intervention: a virtual reality (VR) simulation that allows teachers to experience the classroom from the student’s perspective. The ultimate aim? To shift beliefs, behaviours, and institutional norms — creating culturally safe learning spaces where Māori can thrive.