Economic Development

Led by Dr Rawinia Higgins and Associate Professor Poia Rewi, this research investigates how Te Reo Māori supports economic development, cultural identity, and social cohesion. It focuses on increasing language participation and fluency, while deepening understanding of the language’s value across diverse contexts to strengthen revitalisation efforts and inform future language strategies.

This project is contributing to the key policy area of whānau ora/ family wellbeing via new analysis of the wealth of data contained in the six national household censuses of 1981 to 2006.

Led by Distinguished Professor Graham Smith, this iwi-partnered research programme explored Māori-led economic development grounded in mātauranga Māori. Working with Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui and Ngāpuhi, the project developed a framework to support intergenerational wellbeing and guide future policy and practice.

This project examines rongoā (traditional Māori knowledge of medicinal plants) to find ways to improve animal health naturally, and overall, manage farms with respect for the land.

The commercial fishing industry is a complex system, and one issue that can hamper the success of fishing companies is the inadvertent capture of fish that are not target species. Under the Quota Management System, if a company has limited quota for a non target-species then fishing for target species has to stop once the limited quota of a non-target species has been met.

The Ngāti Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau iwi places great significance on Te Kete Poutama, an area that encompasses Lake Rotoitipaku near Kawerau, because it has been integral to their economic, cultural, spiritual and social wellbeing for generations. Tasman Pulp and Paper, now Norske Skog Tasman Ltd., leased the area for dumping waste in 1971 and it became the primary disposal site for solid paper-mill waste. Now Lake Rotoitipaku no longer exists – it’s filled with more than 600,000m3 of toxic material. In 2013 the dumping will stop and the land will return to its trustees.