Over the past 60 years, the water quality has declined in many large NZ lakes, including Rotorua, Pupuke, Rotoehu, Rotoiti, Tutira and Horowhenua in the North Island, and Lakes Ellesmere (Te Waihora) and Forsyth (Wairewa) in the South Island (Rowe 2004). All of these lakes are important taonga to tangata whenua, and have served as pataka kai for many generations. These lakes have become turbid and are periodically affected by harmful algal blooms. Drinking water supplies have been reduced, culturally-significant fisheries have deteriorated, with koura and kākahi being two pertinent examples.

This study will explore how comparative views of “home” relate to concepts such as identity, whakapapa, and hauora and how these concepts thereby impact service utilisation and uptake in two areas (one rural and one urban). The research seeks to ask

How do urban and rural Māori conceptualise “home” and do these ideas of home differ across generations?
Do perceptions of home affect decisions to access services (education, health, financial, etc.?). If so, how?
How can services be improved to incorporate these views / perceptions of home?

Research on the impact of COVID-19 on Māori tends to highlight its negative outcomes. This strengths-based research project examines improvements in Māori wellbeing that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic

New research analyses the mental, relational, psychological, and spiritual wellbeing of over 3000 Māori during and post-lockdown through Te Rangahau o Te Tuakiri Māori me Ngā Waiaro ā-Pūtea | The Māori Identity and Financial Attitudes Study (MIFAS).

We have identified a set of questions relating to Māori restorative justice in the Aotearoa Justice system and its effectiveness for Māori:

What are the barriers Māori face when they participate in restorative justice as it stands?
What can we learn from the traditional ways of resolving conflict that could minimise these barriers?

What unique Human Resource Management (HRM) practices are offered in Aotearoa workplaces that directly engage in a positive way with Māori employees? 
What do these look like? How are the perceived (and received) by Maori and non-Māori employees? Do they positively shape attitudes as we might expect - and if not, why not? What are the barriers and drivers behind them? 

This research report has been titled Rākau-nui as an acknowledgement to the full moon phase in the Maramataka (Māori lunar calendar). Rākau-nui also represents the collected journey to which this full report has been constructed from. The Maramataka is
a repository of ancient and traditional knowledge orally handed down throughout the generations by our forebears to ensure the sustainability of a healthy environment and thus healthy people (Tawhai, 2013).

The Maramataka is a system of phases which allow Māori to construct ways to interact with the environment.

This report has been prepared for Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga as part of the summer internship programme 2018-2019. This project is titled Tangaroa Ara Rau: Whānau connections and Water Safety with a purpose to understand unique whānau connections to water and its benefit for water safety.

Throughout the summer of 2018 Terina Raureti (Ngāti Raukawa) was given the opportunity to work alongside the waka club Hauteruruku ki Puketeraki and their Tūmai Ora initiative which focused on engaging rangatahi with their pepeha through waka.