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Kaupapa · Projects 547
Ebony’s PhD research will explore the contribution of Māori nurse practitioners and opportunities to transform Primary Healthcare services within Aotearoa.
Indigenising movement: Building technology to fuel cultural vitality among rangatahi and whānau Māori in Aotearoa
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?
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Dr Cecelia Faumuina
Dr Cecelia Faumuina
Dr Cecelia Faumuina is a Moana Oceanic researcher, creative practitioner, and educator whose work explores pattern systems as forms of cultural knowledge, storytelling, and creative practice. Drawing on Pacific visual traditions, particularly Ngatu (Tongan barkcloth) and Kato Alu from ‘Eua, Tonga, her research examines how patterns carry histories, relationships, and ways of knowing, and how these can inform contemporary design, education, and emerging technologies. A key area of her research is the documentation and archiving of Pacific creative practices. She is currently working with Kato… -
Tita Leaupepe
Tita Leaupepe
Leaupepe's professional focus centers on fostering community engagement and building strategic alliances within the sports sector. In their role at Sport New Zealand, they are instrumental in connecting communities and strengthening partnerships to promote sport and recreation across the nation. This involves understanding the broader societal benefits of sport, including its impact on economic well-being, individual development, and community resilience. Leaupepe's work contributes to ensuring equitable access to sports and recreational activities for all New Zealanders, regardless of their… -
Associate Professor Jani Wilson
Associate Professor Jani Wilson
Jani Wilson (Ngāti Awa, Ngā Puhi, Ngā iwi o Mātaatua) hails from Pāroa on the outskirts of Whakatāne, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, and grew up on the Rangitāiki river. She is currently Associate Professor in Aotahi, School of Māori & Indigenous Studies, but most importantly, she is the proud māmā of a very entertaining daughter, Manaaki (23). Initially trained in vocals/drama at performing arts school (Excel), she later studied Film, TV & Media Studies to PhD level at the University of Auckland. Since graduating, Jani has worked in public health (smoking cessation, child poverty & problem…
Weaving Māori Hearts in the Digital Wharenui: Nurturing Whakawhanaungatanga Through a Kaupapa Māori Social Media Platform - Tōku Whānau
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…
Kairangahau · Researchers
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BJ Walbaekken
BJ Walbaekken
BJ Walbaekken builds digital things that actually work — for organisations, for communities, and for whānau. Over 25 years BJ has led transformation from the inside of large enterprises and from the ground up as a founder. He's reported to boards, managed national programmes reaching 5,000+ people, and built platforms from concept to working product. As founder of Mana Digital and Tōku Whānau — a kaupapa Māori digital platform designed as a digital wharenui —BJ works at the intersection of technology, strategy, and community impact. BJ is particularly drawn to work where the stakes are real…
Kauora ki te Ao
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…
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Associate Professor Anne-Marie Jackson
Associate Professor Anne-Marie Jackson
Tēnā koutou, Nō Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Kahu o Whangaroa me Ngāti Wai a Anne-Marie. He kairangahau Māori ia ki Te Koronga, ki Te Kura Parawhakawai.Dr Anne-Marie Jackson's research into Māori health and well-being focuses on supporting the hopes and aspirations of Māori communities.“Otago is a wonderful place to do this mahi. We are a well-connected campus with strong linkages to our communities; a place where whānau and whanaungatanga can flourish,” she says.Anne-Marie, who is an Associate Professor in the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, is passionate about… -
Te Kahurangi Skelton-Pue
Te Kahurangi Skelton-Pue
I am committed to the future of this whenua for generations to come, as it continually strengthens our connection to our whakapapa and cultural landscapes.
Investigating the influence of socio-cultural-political pressures on Māori suicide: A comparison of known Māori suicides from 1840-1939 with those from 1940-2019
This project uses Kaupapa Māori theory to challenge the current dominant Western explanations for suicide, which fail to consider socio-cultural-political pressures and historical processes such as colonisation as core to Indigenous suicide.
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Sonny Niha
Sonny Niha
Kaumatua Sonny Niha (Te Orewai, Te Uriroroi, Ngāpuhi) is the cultural advisor for the Child and Adolescent mental health team within Psychological Medicine at Waipapa Taumata Rau. He has also been the chair of Waipareira Kuamatua rōpu and has worked within the Auckland City Hospital service providing cultural advice and support to whānau Māori. He has been involved in tikanga and te reo Māori advancement in the Department of Psychological Medicine since 2020. In this role he works alongside Matua Te Waere to align the principles and practices of Te Ata Hāpara with Kaupapa Māori elements. -
Te Waere Ti Peeti
Te Waere Ti Peeti
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Witeria Ashby
Witeria Ashby
My name is Witeria Ashby and I am 68 years old. I have worked in the areas of youth development (justice and education), health promotion and Māori mental health. My current mahi includes Māori health workforce development, and from time to time I provide cultural supervision for researchers in these areas.I adhere to te Tiriti o Waitangi as a descendant of two signatories, Kāwiti (Ngāti Hine) and Whiorau (Te Whānau Rara, Ngāti Kawa). I grew up in Mōtatau, and was fortunate to sit at the feet of my grandfather, Te Pene i Hainatia te Tiriti o Waitangi and Tā Hemi Henare, listening to their…
Hononga Raraunga - Te Rohe Eke a Turora
This research project is creating a Digital Data Dashboard that links land blocks and sites with tūpuna and hapū names for the uri of Turora.
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Dr Des Kahotea
Dr Des Kahotea
Dr Des Kahotea (Ngāti Pukenga, Ngā Pōtiki, Ngāti Kahu) is a prominent indigenous archaeologist, anthropologist, and researcher based in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. He is highly respected for incorporating indigenous knowledge and kaupapa Māori research perspectives into modern archaeology. Des's knowledge and experience is invaluable in the work we do at Taonga Tū. -
Anna-Marie Monk
Anna-Marie Monk
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Eve Henare
Eve Henare
Understanding and Enhancing Climate & Oranga/Wellbeing Research in Te Tairāwhiti
In collaboration with Te Weu Charitable Trust, this research seeks to address critical gaps in our understanding of climate change impacts and adaptation strategies specific to Māori communities in Te Tairāwhiti.
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Dayna Chaffey
Dayna Chaffey
Dana Chaffey (Ngāti Porou) has worked on a number of kaupapa with Te Weu, most recently the Kura Taiao capacity-building programme, Wellbeing & Extreme Weather research and our Cyclone Gabrielle anniversary Ka Muri Ka Mua research symposium. -
Renee Raroa
Renee Raroa
Ehara taku maunga i te maunga haere, he maunga tu tonu. Ko toku kingitanga no tuawhakarere, no toku matua tipuna, no te po mai rano. Ko Hikurangi te maunga. Ko Waiapu te awa. Ko Ngati Porou te iwi.Renee is the director of East Coast Exchange, an indigenous-led data cooperative supporting regeneration projects within the tribal boundaries of Ngati Porou, Aotearoa (NZ). She leads a large-scale land use transition pilot on her ancestral lands at Te Kautuku, drawing on innovations in nature markets by the Toha network. Renee is also the co-founder and board chair of Te Weu Charitable Trust, an… -
Manu Caddie
Manu Caddie
What is Data Sovereignty in Triangulation with Māori Innovation and Western Intellectual Property Regimes? Of Registries, Reality and Rangatiratanga
The research project is analysing the WIPO’s proposal to develop databases of Indigenous Knowledge and genetic resources through a case study on mātauranga Māori innovations in papakāinga and assessing findings about novel mātauranga vis-à-vis existing and proposed domestic and international laws regarding data in registries.
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Professor Jessica Lai
Professor Jessica Lai
Professor Jessica Lai specialises in intellectual property, especially patent law, the protection of Mātauranga Māori, and patents and gender. Jessica is the author of Indigenous Cultural Heritage and Intellectual Property Rights (Springer, 2014) and Patent Law and Women (Routledge, 2021). She is also an author of the Annotated High Court Rules (5th edn, LexisNexis, 2025), as well as numerous articles and chapters, and the editor of multiple books. Her latest edited collection is A Research Agenda for Intellectual Property Law and Gender (Edward Elgar, 2024, with Kathy Bowrey).Jessica was… -
Assocaite Professor David Jefferson
Assocaite Professor David Jefferson
David Jefferon's research examines how the law sets the terms for human interactions with the other-than-human world, including through the governance of biodiversity, biotechnologies, agricultural crops, and food. David’s research sites are in Australasia and Latin America. -
Harriet Kennelly
Harriet Kennelly
Mā te Taiaho Matawai kia Whakahura Ngā Korero o Nehe – Laser Beam Scanning Technologies for Unlocking Landscape Narratives
LiDAR technology offers unprecedented access to the whenua—capturing the contours of the landscape at fine detail and revealing wāhi tapu and heritage sites often lost under forest canopies or inaccessible locations. This research explores how hapū and iwi can utilise geospatial technologies like LiDAR to identify, connect-with, and enrich the management…
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Dr. Susanna Finlay-Smits
Dr. Susanna Finlay-Smits
As a researcher with degrees in anthropology, sociology, and biochemistry, I have developed a research career at the intersection between social science and science, exploring the social aspects, impacts, implications of science across a wide range of contexts. In recent years the focus of my research has been on the socio-cultural context that surrounds the use of our natural resources, with a particular focus on sustainability, biosecurity, and protecting both our biodiversity and the wellbeing of our people. I have extensive experience of working in multi-, inter, and trans-disciplinary… -
Jessica Webber
Jessica Webber
Te Rangianiwaniwa a Te Harakeke – The Harakeke’s Rainbow
This research supports iwi-led, tikanga-informed innovation, grounded in Kaupapa Māori methodology. Through wānanga and co-design with Ngāti Tukorehe, the team is developing safe, solvent-free dye processes that respect tikanga and are reproducible in community settings.
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Associate Professor Sonya Withers
Associate Professor Sonya Withers
Sonya Withers is a New Zealand born Pacific creative with whakapapa back to Scotland and Sama’i, Falelatai, Sāmoa. Sonya is a graduate of the College of Creative Arts, with BDes (Textile Design major) and postgraduate qualifications in Visual and Material Culture and a Masters in Design. Sonya is a Design lecturer at the College of Creative Arts School of Design and teaches across Textile Studio and Critical and Contextual Studies. -
Dr. Tanya Ruka
Dr. Tanya Ruka
Ko Tanya Te Miringa Te Rorarangi Ruka ahau, Ngati Pakau, Ngapuhi te Iwi. Tanya Ruka is a research-based contemporary arts practitioner, educator, author, editor, curator & publisher.2025 DNDA Don Norman Design Award in EducationHer work in the digital landscape, is dedicated to embedding indigenous knowledge and perspectives into contemporary narratives and practices. Firmly placing Indigenous ways of knowing and being in landless territories of new imagined futures. AIRI (Artificial Indigenous Relational Intelligence) - coined by Tanya 2024 PhD - training educational/ relational AI with… -
Briar Moffat
Briar Moffat
Kō Tainui te WakaKō Tararua te MaungaKō Ōtaki me Ōhau ngā AwaKō Ngāti Tukorehe me Ngāti Raukawa te iwiKō Briar Moffatt tāku ingoaI am the Founder and Director of Whare Kōtare -
Dr. William Xu
Dr. William Xu
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Ally Ataria
Ally Ataria
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Julia Hope
Julia Hope
Julia Hope is a textiles artist who completed her Masters of Design at Massey University. -
Huhana Smith
Huhana Smith
Professor Huhana Smith is a visual artist, curator and principle investigator in research who engages in major environmental, trans-disciplinary, kaupapa Māori and action-research projects. She is co-principle investigator for research that includes mātauranga Māori methods with sciences to actively address climate change concerns for coastal Māori lands in Horowhenua-Kāpiti. Huhana actively encourages the use of art and design’s visual systems combined in exhibitions, to expand how solutions might integrate complex issues and make solutions more accessible for local communities. -
Faith Kane
Faith Kane
Faith Kane is a design researcher and educator working in the area of textiles and materials. Her research interests include design for sustainability, collaborative working in the design/science space and the role and value of craft knowledge within these contexts. She is also an editor of the Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice. Find out more about Faith’s work at www.faithkane.com
Te Ara Pokanga o te Kiri – Patient Experiences of Apronectomy for Excess Skin Removal following significant Weight Loss in Te Tairāwhiti
Underpinned by a Kaupapa Māori methodological stance, this project seeks to undertake research at the interface of mātauranga Māori and surgery to produce resources that will practically improve care for whānau who have an apronectomy.
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Professor Matire Harwood
Professor Matire Harwood
Matire Harwood (Ngāpuhi) is the Manukura Rua/Deputy Dean at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences.A Kaupapa Māori clinical academic, Matire teaches MBChB Years 4 to 6, supervises postgraduate students, and leads clinical and qualitative research with a focus on managing long term conditions in the community.Qualifications:MBChB Auckland, PhD Otago, FRNZCGPDistinctions/Honours:2024 King's Service Medal for Services to Māori Health2023 Butland Teaching Award for Excellence in Research Supervision2022 Community Services Medal, NZ College of GPs2021 Greg Judkins Poetry Award, NZ College of… -
Dr Samantha Grace
Dr Samantha Grace
General Practitioner in Medicine, Dr. Samantha Grace received her MB ChB from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery. -
Atareta Mangu
Atareta Mangu
Atareta Mangu is part of the project 'Te Ara Pokanga o te Kiri – Patient experiences of apronectomy for excess skin removal following significant weight Loss in Te Tairāwhiti'This research will audit apronectomy surgical services by investigating post-operative complications. Researchers will undertake semi-structured in-depth interviews with whānau who have had an apronectomy in Te Tairāwhiti. Following this, the research team will design two resources: a one-page digital information sheet depicting the surgery, how it is done, and its risks and; a postoperative recovery survey tool to aid…
Tohunga Talks: Digital Narratives of Tohunga that Nurture Multiliteracies of Ākonga
This project explores how digital narratives of tohunga can be curated to support and enrich the multiliteracies of ākonga, particularly in Te Tai Tokerau. At its heart, Tohunga Talks is a collaborative digital storytelling initiative grounded in Te Tai Tokerau mātauranga tuku iho, Kaupapa Māori research approaches, and the Mana Model.
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Professor Melinda Webber
Professor Melinda Webber
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Co-Director Melinda Webber is Professor of Education at Te Pūtahi Mātauranga | The Faculty of Arts and Education, Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland. Melinda specialises in Māori Education and Social Psychology and is the Aotearoa New Zealand co-director of the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity programme based at The University of Melbourne. She wrote Walking the space between: Identity and Māori/Pakeha (NZCER Press, 2008), co-wrote A fire in the belly of Hineāmaru A collection of narratives about Te Tai Tokerau tupuna & Ka ngangana tonu a Hineāmaru - He… -
Dr Maia Hetaraka
Dr Maia Hetaraka
He uri tēnei no Ngāti Wai, Ngāi Tahu, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Paoa. I currently reside in Te Tai Tokerau where I research, teach, and have many whanaungatanga connections. I am interested in Māori and indigenous knowledge and approaches that contribute to justice in education practice, pedagogy and policies. I am committed to developing understandings about the multitudinous ways Māori and indigenous knowledges can impact on and provide solutions to contemporary social, educational and political issues. I have particular interests and expertise in mātauranga Māori and in the historical realities that… -
Professor Rebecca Jesson
Professor Rebecca Jesson
Dr Rebecca Jesson is Professor in literacy education at the Faculty of Education and Social Work. Rebecca's research is situated in schools and their communities in New Zealand and the Pacific. Her focus is on designing, with teachers, teaching and learning innovations that will improve the literacy learning experiences of students.Rebecca studies the reciprocal relationships between research and teaching. Her studies highlight both the application of research in real world contexts and the application of real world craft to research through teacher decision making, co-design and…
He rau rangatira, he rau MANUKURA: A Māori Model of Education
Keita’s research is a qualitative case study on MANUKURA and sets out to explore what practices and/or principles are gained from the kura that support ākonga Māori in their educational aspirations. To achieve this, Keita is interested in the voices of raukura (graduates) of MANUKURA and their whānau, current senior ākonga and their whānau, kaiako, and key…
Kairangahau · Researchers
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Professor Huia Tomlins-Jahnke
Professor Huia Tomlins-Jahnke
Professor Huia Tomlins Jahnke is currently a Professor of Māori Education, and Head of School in the College of Education at Massey University.
Māori Perinatal Mental Health Resource
This research, grounded in Kaupapa Māori and mana wāhine methodologies, explores the experiences of Māori mothers and whānau during the perinatal period. It highlights the expertise of Māori birthing parents and identifies strengths and solutions to address inequities in perinatal mental health care.A publicly accessible resource was developed to share…
E hoa, e hoariri rānei? How will Corbicula Fluminea affect Te Mauri o Waiwaiā?
This project examined the impact of the invasive freshwater gold clam on the mauri of Waiwaia and taonga species in the Waipā River. It assessed the species' role from a Te Ao Māori perspective and proposed culturally grounded responses for environmental protection.
Māori Pharmacists: Staying, going, or gone?
Why do Māori pharmacists stay—or leave—the profession? This project explored the career experiences of Māori pharmacists, using surveys and literature to uncover the key factors influencing their decisions. The findings will help shape a more supportive and sustainable future for Māori in pharmacy.
Māori whānau mental health and addiction journeys
How do Māori experience and navigate cannabis and methamphetamine use in their lives and communities? This kaupapa Māori project internship centred whānau voices to better understand the challenges and solutions from within – aiming to shift the narrative from criminalisation to healing and wellbeing.
INFORMING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MATAURANGA MAORI MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH TOOL
How do whānau define and experience quality engagement from health services? This internship included a Kaupapa Māori-informed literature review to inform development of a maternal mental health tool.
Borrin Internship: Supporting the build of a research and teaching repository for the Indigenisation of the LLB
InternOcean Bartlett, Ngati Porou, Ngāpuhi, University of CanterburySupervisorAdrienne Paul, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of CanterburyThe internship is provided as part of the prestigious NPM Borrin Foundation Legal Research Internship award.OverviewThe project team is leading the indigenisation of the LLB at the University of Canterbury. This…
Tihei Mauri Ora, Tihei Mana Motuhake: Investigating how trauma impacts rangatahi Māori who offend and their whānau engaged with the youth justice system
This internship project focussed on analysing data to address two questions 1. How does trauma impact Māori youth who offend, and their whānau, and 2. how can their lived experiences and Māori approaches to Trauma Informed Care shape law and policy related to youth justice to foster whānau flourishing?
Effective Co-Governance of Natural Disasters
This project investigated the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle on Māori and wider communities in Hawke’s Bay, highlighting the delayed government response. It explored how co-governance between Māori and local authorities could improve disaster preparedness and recovery planning.
Raw material identification of toki in the Auckland War Memorial Museum archaeology collection
This internship uncovered the hidden stories of 2,000 toki from Auckland Museum’s collection, combining archaeology and mātauranga Māori to trace their stone origins and reconnect them to whakapapa. The work opens new paths to understand historic resource use, trade, and sustainable practices in Aotearoa.
Providing the voice for kanakana –assisting with storytelling and being part of the restoration journey for this taonga species
This internship is about the kanakana/piharau/pouched lamprey, a struggling fish species in New Zealand due to decline in river water quality, industrialisation, and river alteration.
PARS wars: a systematic review of 'Play, Active Recreation and Sport' (PARS) in promoting mental health among Māori youth
This internship investigates how physical activity and sports (PARS) support the mental wellbeing of rangatahi Māori, combining research review and lived experiences to explore culturally relevant pathways to flourishing.