Media release

Monday 18th June, 2012

Six new indigenous research projects to tackle essential issues for Aotearoa

Two new Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM) research projects will examine how recent disasters have affected New Zealand in crucial ways.

Associate Professor Paul Kayes, from Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, leads the project “An investigation into the fisheries resources and interests of iwi, hapū and marae within Tauranga Moana and the impacts caused by the grounding of the CV Rena”. The team will assess the status of selected shellfish in the area, and how the grounding of the cargo vessel Rena has affected these fisheries and iwi ability to manage them. This will serve as an example for all iwi in regards to fisheries management and the effects caused by environmental disasters of this scale.

The second study, “Networks of support for Māori mental health: The response and recovery of Tangata Whaiora through the Ōtautahi earthquakes”, looks at how the recent earthquakes in Ōtautahi (Christchurch) have affected Māori mental health communities. The research team led by Dr Simon Lambert, Lincoln University, will focus on how the support networks for Tangata Whaiora (a term applied to Māori mental health clients that translates as people seeking health) and their whānau responded and recovered through the disaster.

These are two of the six ground-breaking NPM research projects starting this year. All six will be presented at the NPM New Research Showcase evening, part of the International Indigenous Development Research Conference 2012 being held this month in Auckland.

The other projects are:
Ka Awatea: An iwi case study of Māori students experiencing success – Professor Angus Macfarlane, University of Canterbury. Through interviews, literature and surveys, this research will examine the multiplicity of factors that support Māori student achievement, and findings will be passed onto educators, parents and whānau.

Indigenous agroecology – Dr Marion Johnson, Kā Rakahau o Te Ao Tūroa (CSAFE), University of Otago. Indigenous agroecology is an opportunity for mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) to inform and generate innovation in farm practices. This project aims to create a unique low-input farming model underpinned by indigenous knowledge, science and technology.

Tiakina Te Pā Harakeke: Māori childrearing within a context of whānau ora – Dr Leonie Pihama, University of Waikato. This project seeks to share with whānau and others, knowledge about successfully raising children in ways that are grounded within tikanga Māori, and have been and continue to be, practiced for generations.

Aue Ha! Māori men’s relational health – Mohi Rua and Professor Darrin Hodgetts, University of Waikato. This project addresses the everyday lives and positive relationships of Māori men in the context of men’s health. It will explore supportive relationships and positive social interactions among three diverse groups of Māori men: those engaged in traditional practices in their home settings; those who have migrated to an urban centre and work to maintain links back home; and those who are experiencing street homelessness.

NPM will also launch MAI Journal: A New Zealand Journal of Indigenous Scholarship at the showcase evening. MAI Journal publishes multidisciplinary peer-reviewed articles around indigenous knowledge and development in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand. The inaugural issue will be published online on 27th June 2012 and all content is free to access.

Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga
NPM is one of New Zealand’s seven Centres of Research Excellence and has Centre-based researchers as well as researchers located around an extensive national network of participating research entities. NPM carries out excellent research of relevance to Māori communities, and this research is underpinned by the vision to realise the creative potential of Māori communities and to bring about positive change and transformation in New Zealand and wider world. To read more about the Centre and the above projects, visit www.maramatanga.ac.nz

The International Indigenous Development Research Conference 2012, 27–30th June
This is the 5th biennial NPM conference and highlights indigeneity and the multidisciplinary approach used for indigenous development. It attracts hundreds of indigenous peoples from around the world, with a programme of research presentations that includes prestigious international and New Zealand keynote speakers. The keynote speakers are:

· Associate Professor Keawe’aimoku Kaholokula, the University of Hawai‘i

· Aroha Mead from Victoria University of Wellington and Global Chair of the IUCN Commission on Environment, Economic and Social Policy

· Dr Jelena Porsanger, Rector of Sámi University College, Norway

· Associate Professor Troy A. Richardson, Cornell University, USA

· Professor Charles Royal, Director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga and Professor of Indigenous Development in the Faculty of Arts, University of Auckland

The conference is being held at The University of Auckland. For more information and to view the full programme visit www.indigenousdevelopment2012.ac.nz

MAI Journal: A New Zealand Journal of Indigenous Scholarship

This journal has evolved from MAI Review, and complements AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples. MAI Journal is published in Auckland by NPM, and the Editors are Professor Michael Walker and Dr Tracey McIntosh. The Journal is proud to be associated with MASS, the Māori Association of Social Science, which is represented on the editorial board. www.journal.mai.ac.nz

ENDS

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