Decolonizing Maternities

This blog post examines the doctoral thesis of K.A. Gabel “Poipoia te tamaiti ki te ūkaipō” to draw connections to my own research interests on Te poho o Hineteiwaiwa - Traditional Maori birth practice. As well as engage with Gabel’s work to analyze the learnings gained as a student of Te Mahi Rangahau Maori 570-19A …

Creative Expression, Identity and Diaspora Explored: Karlo Mila Celebrated

Sourced from https://e-tangata.co.nz/arts/karlo-mila-jamming-the-good-stuff-into-poems/ A daughter of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, Karlo Mila certainly holds an expressive and future knowing ability within her ocean. This ability encompasses a narrative of being second generation Pasifika, exploring the metaphysics of identity and the political of the everyday life as a migrants daughter living in Aotearoa. Dream Fish Floating (Mila, 2005) …

Samoa Law Reform: taking into account traditional customs while keeping laws up-to date

Since the beginning of my studies I found research in the south pacific very rewarding. Not only am I married to a Samoan with a half Maori/Samoan child but also because of the connections our Polynesian people have with our Maori people. I also believe that we can learn a lot from the south pacific …

Mohi Rua: Exploring Māori Precarity and More

Dr Mohi Rua, a senior lecturer in Māori/Indigenous/Community Psychology at the University of Waikato, is an Indigenous Māori thinker producing important research work within the discipline of Psychology. Under this umbrella subject, Dr Rua’s work covers a wide variety of topics, including decolonisation of the discipline itself through exploring the reification of European psychological conceptions …

Shane Te Ruki, and The Ancesterial World of Ngāti Maniapoto

“Haere mai Rā! Koutou, nga manuwhiri e kua eke mai…” …The karanga of my kuia echo through the valleys as we stand to welcome our esteemed guest onto the marae. I stand alone in the front row of seats, while the second row is filled with my female whanau members. As my kuia calls out …

Alice Te Punga Somerville

Alice Te Punga Somerville, a descendent of Te Ātiawa, born in Wellington and raised in Auckland. Dr Alice’s passion lives right at the heart of having our indigenous stories known and told in their entirety. Her belief is that Māori, Pacific and/or Indigenous peoples are constrained when the stories about us are limited. Dr Alice …

Whakapapa is complex.

Prior to engaging in this year’s study, I have done a little background research into the whakapapa of my father’s maternal antecedents, who appear to descend from an Iwi in Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka. It has been frustrating at times, as I have used many varied research strategies to attempt to unearth early …

Māori Diaspora in Australia- The Third Great Migration?

“Ngāti Kāngarū”, “Ngāti Skippy”, “Plastic”,” Ngāti Ahitereiria” and “Mozzie”, these are some of the terms thrown around to label Māori people living in Australia. Labels signifying difference, implying cultural inauthenticy. I myself am an Australian-born Māori, currently living in Aotearoa, and am well aware of the differences, of the pros and cons of being part …

Why aren’t Māori kids in my school doing as well as the Pākeha kids?

Professor Russell Bishop Russell Bishop: The Whakapapa of Te Kotahitanga Russell Bishop’s Dad is a mix of Scots and English and came from Dunedin and other parts of the South Island. His Mum, Doris McKay is a mix of Scots, her ancestors coming from the Scottish highlands and Māori descendants from Waikato Tainui. His brother …