The University of Auckland

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.

Māori youth are vastly over-represented in New Zealand’s justice system — a clear sign that the system isn’t working for everyone. This project aims to change that.

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

Primary Supervisor(s): Professor Tracey McIntosh

PhD Candidate: Hannah Rapata (Kāi Tahu)

Primary Supervisor: Associate Professor Donna Cormack

This research focused on “Te Kai Ora a Kāi Tahu” using kaupapa Māori qualitative methods to explore opportunities to strengthen connections between Kāi Tahu whenua, peoples, and waters.

PhD Candidate: Ashlea Gillon , Ngāti Awa, Ngāpuhi, Ngāiterangi

Primary Supervisor(s): Professor Tracey McIntosh, Tūhoe

Summary