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.

This internship examined how the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has influenced domestic law reforms, drawing lessons from Canada, Belize, and beyond.
It explored strategies for Indigenous peoples and civil society to advance rights within national and international legal frameworks.

Project Summary

This creative-led project focuses on four sites: Poor Knights, Hen and Chicks, Little and Great Barrier Island. 

Pukapuka Hanganga Reo Matatini brings treasured pūrākau of Te Aitanga a Mahaki to life through structured literacy children’s books that support neurodiverse tamariki to learn te reo Māori while connecting with their whakapapa and iwi.

Project Summary

The second edition of The State of Māori Rights gathers Māori perspectives on key events and issues that have shaped our lives over the past thirty years. Scheduled for publication in 2025, it is a major revision and update of the 2011 first edition, which continues to be widely used in university courses.

This project created “Te Proton Poi” — a waiata integrating mātauranga Māori with quantum physics to support community engagement with advanced health technologies.
Inspired by MRI concepts and kapa haka, the project highlights how culturally grounded approaches can bridge science and te ao Māori to empower whānau.