Matakitenga project

Project lead: Dr Ani Kainamu Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research

Across Te Tai-o-Araiteuru, mana whenua must dispute the controversial issue of ‘kina barrens’; a biased view that is used to increase commercial kina quota.

Although mana whenua have intimate knowledge of their rohe moana, the current decision-making process priviledges Western science. There is little known scientific information about the stock or the impacts of fishing on the kina population within this coastline; except a questionable quota-owner led survey in Moeraki.

Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) requires Te Tiriti partnership by supporting multiple knowledge in decision-making. We aim to contribute to existing partnerships and ensure robust evidence. Utilising multiple-methods this research project draws on mātauranga of kina and associated systems as taonga.

This Kaupapa Māori research centred Māori worldviews, values, and lived experiences. It drew on legal analysis and case study work to investigate how tikanga Māori is reshaping law and dispute resolution in Aotearoa’s climate-conscious future.

Ahinata’s project engages with the experiences of wāhine and gender diverse Kāi Tahu, informed by iwi and gender specific contexts, in order to answer the question: How do we as wāhine and gender diverse Kāi Tahu learn about, become, and take care of ourselves, specifically in the areas of gender, sex, sexuality and body?

Kapa haka provides a space for cultural expression, physical movement, and identity development. But how can technology be used to develop accessible kapa haka-informed physical movement resources that promote cultural identity development and overall wellbeing for rangatahi and whānau Māori?

The project will explore the research question: What would a kaupapa Māori based social media platform for Māori communities and whānau look and feel like?  The research will involve engaging with a specific Māori community through wānanga/whakawhiti kōrero in order to ascertain the key elements required to develop it into a more Māori-specific and -friendly platform. 

Kauora is a whānau-derived theory and practice of swimming, developed through Raureti’s doctoral research, that redefines how whānau engage in kaupapa wai. This project supports its implementation by developing a data sovereignty policy for Ngāti Kapu to guide the protection and long-term sustainability of mātauranga, reo and whānau data gathered through this kaupapa in Ōtaki.