Today Whakauae launches a new forum for original research, review, commentary and reflective essays on issues of relevance to whānau, hapū and Iwi Māori.
Te Pūtake – Whakauae Raro Occasional Paper Series explores the aspirations, challenges and important new issues arising for Māori and is intended to address a wide audience of national and international change-makers.
Produced by Whakauae Research, and featuring a range of contributors, these peer-reviewed papers are designed to circulate formative thinking, early research findings, critical commentary and ideas to promote discussion and engagement on creating positive outcomes for Māori.
The name Te Pūtake – Whakauae Raro reflects the merging of two key concepts central to Ngāti Hauiti's tradition of pursuing knowledge and applying that knowledge for the benefit of its people. The kupu pūtake refers to the idea of the source or origins; the origins of Hauiti as a people, but also the origins and creation of knowledge. Te Pūtake is also the name given to Ngāti Hauiti's own journal, a document launched in 2006 and intended to support Iwi advancements through the provision and dissemination of Hauiti-specific whakapapa, waiata, mōteatea, pūrākau and other scholarly writings.
Whakauae Raro, meanwhile refers to origins of Whakauae's name, which is derived from Te Whakauae ā Tamatea (the Jawbone of Tamatea), a hill country range between Mangaweka and Taihape in the Rangitīkei and named by Hauiti tupuna, Tamatea Pōkai Whenua. In Māori tradition, the jawbone holds significant meaning referring both to te kauae-runga (celestial knowledge) and te kauae-raro (terrestrial, or worldly knowledge). Te Whakauae ā Tamatea provides Ngāti Hauiti with a physical and cultural link to ancestral knowledge and traditions. As the Ngāti Hauiti centre for health research and development, Whakauae Research Services is a hub for information and knowledge that strives to improve Māori communities and embody the essence of Te Whakauae ā Tamatea.
Te Pūtake – Whakauae Raro Occasional Paper Series merges these two traditions of knowledge and information. Launched during the time of Puanga, this series of occasional papers also serves to remind us of the need to take stock, to reflect on the past, to make time for wānanga and to re-energise for future challenges.
Te Pūtake – Whakauae Raro Occasional Paper Series is available here.
