Doctoral Projects

Maren Tahata (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato-Tainui), The University of Auckland

Māori students remain underrepresented in STEM fields in Aotearoa-not due to lack of ability or interest, but because the education system often fails to reflect Māori identities, values, and ways of knowing. This research explores how culturally responsive science teaching can support Māori students to develop strong science identities and envision their “science possible selves” for students who aspire to work in STEM careers and those who will use science to inform their daily lives.

Marama Robin Kainamu-Wheeler (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu), Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington.

This research adopts a whakapapa research paradigm to investigate national-linked perinatal datasets to (1) make visible the neonatal outcomes of Māori term infants born 2017–2022, (2) investigate protective factors contributing to the neonatal outcomes of Māori infants, and (3) collaborate with whānau through wānanga to reimagine perinatal data in the context of whakapapa.

Nadine Helen Riwai (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Mahaki, Te Uri o Hau, Ngai Takoto), The Univerisity of Auckland

Across Aotearoa, national cancer screening programmes—breast, bowel, cervical, and emerging areas such as lung screening—aim to save lives through early detection. Yet Māori continue to experience barriers to access, delayed diagnosis, and poorer outcomes. These inequities are not the result of individual behaviour, but of health systems that too often fail to uphold mana, dignity, and cultural safety for whānau.

Jolene Barletta Rangihaeata (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Konohi, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngā Rauru, Ngāti Ruahine, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Hikairo, Ngāti Apa), University of Waikato.

Climate change poses profound environmental and cultural challenges for Indigenous peoples across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, including Māori communities in Aotearoa. Despite minimal contributions to global emissions, Māori are among the first to face rising seas, biodiversity loss, and extreme weather events that threaten marae, urupā and ancestral lands. In Tairāwhiti, Cyclone Gabrielle (2023) caused rivers to exceed record levels, altering the land and ultimately displacing whānau.

Awatea Waimārie Moxon (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāi Tahu), Te Herenga Waka Victoria University

My research explores the relationship between wellbeing and whakapapa knowledge (Māori history, genealogy and creation stories).

My PhD extends my previous research, which became the first to empirically illustrate the correlation between whakapapa knowledge and mental wellbeing over time (8 years). The present research employs a mixed-methods approach to further elucidate how and to what extent whakapapa knowledge contributes to wellbeing.

Karamea Tina Tukukino (Ngāti Awa, Ngāi te Rangi, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Tamatera), Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi

The aim of this research is to co-develop a values-based evaluative framework that supports ethical AI integration in Māori tertiary educational contexts. The concept of Mātāhihiko invokes the synergy between ancestral wisdom and contemporary technologies, positioning Māori educational institutions as leaders in shaping ethical, culturally grounded applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI).