University of Otago

This project explores the barriers Māori whānau face in accessing disability funding through New Zealand’s Needs Assessment and Coordination system. Combining a literature review with interviews of whānau and Kaupapa Māori providers, the research aims to build strong relationships and develop a Kaupapa Māori equity-based tool. Ultimately, this will support a co-designed framework to improve fair and culturally appropriate funding for whaikaha Māori.

This research draws on mōteatea, whakataukī, and insights from Māori experts to illuminate the ethical foundations of Kaupapa Māori methodologies. By mapping these principles against Western theories, it guides culturally safe approaches for intergenerational trauma and Indigenous health research.

This project explored how the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi align—or conflict—with the management of public reserves, through a case study of Waikouaiti Recreation Reserve in the Kāti Huirapa ki Puketeraki rohe.
Supervised by Dr Robin Quigg, the research involved historical analysis of land use, whakapapa, and pūrākau, contributing to the decolonisation of park spaces.

This internship compiled a database of traditional Māori food preservation practices to better understand archaeological midden sites and mahinga kai history.
Working with Otago’s SPAR team, the project links historical knowledge with contemporary preservation techniques across Aotearoa.

We have identified a set of questions relating to Māori restorative justice in the Aotearoa Justice system and its effectiveness for Māori:

What are the barriers Māori face when they participate in restorative justice as it stands?

What can we learn from the traditional ways of resolving conflict that could minimise these barriers?

This report has been prepared for Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga as part of the summer internship programme 2018-2019. This project is titled Tangaroa Ara Rau: Whānau connections and Water Safety with a purpose to understand unique whānau connections to water and its benefit for water safety.