On the 24th of February, our 2024/25 Whakauae Research summer students returned to Whanganui to present their work to the broader team. With excitement, they impressed the team, showcasing their knowledge and skills in presentations reflecting their summer research. Each of our students share their insights from the summer:
Liam Barclay (Ngāti Hauiti, Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa, Te Āti Haunui ā Pāpārangi) reflected on his time with the Pūtōrino e rua project, looking at the impacts of historic flooding of the Rangitīkei on Ngāti Hauiti and Ngāti Apa. He said “Initially, I assumed that the research process would be relatively linear, wherein kōrero explicitly pertaining to flooding along the Rangitīkei would appear in various parts throughout the minutes in each land court case. This hasn’t necessarily been the case.”
Something he has learned from his time is “how dynamics between iwi in the Rangitīkei shifted and changed throughout time. We can sometimes tend to think of iwi occupation and rohe on a fixed and linear continuum - the material has really highlighted the more complex dynamics and movements amongst our tūpuna throughout time.”
Over the summer, he uncovered burial records for two of Hauiti’s children - an unexpected treasure within the land court minutes he meticulously reviewed. Of his time, he says “the exciting thing about these kinds of discoveries, and where this may link to the broader aspirations of Whakauae, is that these findings might be found in the tari and eventually shared in the wharepuni. It is very fulfilling to be able to make contributions to our puna kōrero ā iwi through this research, which can eventually be accessed by our whānau so that they feel more connected to their identities and Hauititanga overall.”
Hakopa Ririnui (Ngāi te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Pūkenga) worked with Dr Tanya Allport and Tom Johnson (TUI team) to create a digital artefact to support the Tō Mātou Kāinga project’s planned symposium event next year.
He discussed how his ideas around kāinga and home shifted during his time with the project. Hakopa observed he has “come to appreciate how whānau experience and define home in such unique and personal ways. I now see kāinga not just as a physical space but as an emotional and cultural connection tied to identity, relationships, and whenua. Kāinga is not a fixed idea but something shaped by personal and intergenerational experiences.”
Reflecting on his project he further stated that “I am proud of how I have been able to bridge academic research with digital storytelling in a unique style using 3D animation. Bringing complex ideas to life through animation and seeing how visual representation can enhance understanding has been rewarding. Visual storytelling is a powerful medium to convey complexities, particularly through symbolism, environmental design, and the interactive aspect of digital media.”
Looking back on the project, Hakopa noted “I have loved working with supportive Māori researchers and other tauira to construct this artefact. Contributing to a kaupapa that aims to improve the well-being and livelihoods of Māori gives me a deep sense of fulfilment. Visual forms of communication, such as animation and digital interaction, broaden how research can be understood by a diverse audience. I hope that the work I have been doing will help preserve and express Māori perspectives on kāinga in a way that resonates across generations. And to demonstrate how future methods, such as animation, can effectively complement meaningful research.”
Saffron Stanley (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāi Tahu) was involved with the Expanding connection: the process of reconnection for Māori youth study with Dr Logan Hamley, exploring literature that describes rangatahi understandings of Māori culture.
Since beginning her mahi with Whakauae she shared that “my understanding of our research focus continues to deepen. Insights around what it means to be Māori have been shaped through the words of rangatahi, all reflecting that our identities and experiences as Māori are multi-faceted, fluid, and diverse”.
In looking back over her time on the project, she is “most proud of the ways my ability to critically engage with literature has blossomed, and how this shapes our research engagements. In a short amount of time, this work has greatly expanded my own research abilities, deepening my understanding of latent and semantic data, researcher subjectivities, and identifying existing limitations of research.”
Her work over the summer has been foundational to shaping the broader Health Research Council-funded project she works in, particularly thinking through how the work can honour rangatahi voice: “much of the existing literature concerning rangatahi Māori lacks direct voice from rangatahi themselves. This has raised important questions around consultation and co-creation in research and challenges us to be intentional in how we engage with rangatahi moving forward in our own project.”
She shared that the work aligns with “Whakauae’s broader kaupapa of supporting iwi aspirations by creating further pathways for meaningful engagement with rangatahi and amplifying their voices within our mahi. He tohu tēnei rangahau o te whakataukī rongonui nei – ka pū te rūhā, ka hao te rangatahi!”
Hannah Overbye (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Māhaki, Te Whānau a Kai, Rongowhakaata) worked with the Tō Mātou Kāinga, Tō Mātou Ūkaipō research team to prepare an article for publication drawing on the study’s stakeholder data. She said she has “gained an understanding of what health research is, and the broad and sociological scope of it especially in relation to Māori. I've also learned more about reflexivity in research and how important that is for Indigenous research, especially data analysis.”
The project has also reminded her that “Māori are innovative and have the solutions that work best for us, however there's often an incongruency with funding, resourcing and, at a more ontological level, understanding of wellbeing, methodology and ideology between ourselves and the kāwanatanga. The summer studentship has revealed the breadth of innovative solutions Māori have to social, economic, and hauora issues Māori face contemporarily, in relation to housing.”
She says that this project has reinforced her “desire to work in kaupapa Māori research spaces, and my belief in the need for mana motuhake for Māori to deliver solutions right for them and live in exercise of their rangatiratanga.” She further hopes her work over the summer has helped provide insight for iwi development, policy, and research shaping solutions and further programmes and projects.
The full student reports will be released through our website over the coming weeks. The Whakauae team has been privileged to support these four students over the summer and looks forward to continuing to nurture their growth as future leaders in research, health, iwi development, and technology.
Whakauae research will be supporting both winter studentships and summer studentships during the 2025 calendar year. If you, or anyone you know, might be interested in more information about the studentships or how to apply, please contact logan@whakauae.co.nz
