Doctoral Thesis

Hineitimoana’s research is a critical biography of her grandmother, Tuaiwa (Eva) Rickard, a Tainui Ngāti Koata woman known for her influential role in the Māori land rights movement of the 1970s.

Sharron’s doctoral research is a strengths-based study called ‘Hauora: A Ngāti Kahungunu perspective’ and the research question is, “What is the relationship between kaupapa Māori community-led initiatives and Māori notions of hauora and how can this mātauranga-ā-iwi inform Te Ara Toiora, the Ngāti Kahungunu Wellbeing Strategy?”

Māori have a long history of storytelling, which remains a central aspect of te ao Māori and a space for rangatiratanga. This is true of contemporary art forms, though little research has been conducted into adapting literature to screen. Briar’s research seeks to fill this gap by researching the influence of oral narrative forms on Māori literature and how that is then adapted to the screen.

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 people who contributed to the early stages of developing this kura.

The whakatauakī - 'Ko au ko koe, ko koe ko au,' stands as a determining principle behind the legacy created by Mita Hikairo Mohi and his teachings of the discipline of mautaiaha.  Many from across the motu have attended these wānanga held on Mokoia Island. The intention of Aramoana’s research is to explore this legacy and its impact on Māori Male well-being in relation to cultural reclamation, resilience and affirmation.

This study has been initiated by the iwi of Ōhiwa, led by Ngāti Awa to establish techniques and practices to provide information to assist in the co-management of Ōhiwa harbour.