A nine-strong delegation of kaimahi and postgraduate ākonga led by Ngā Wai a Te Tūī (Māori and Indigenous Research Centre) represented Unitec at the MAI Hui a Tau Doctoral Conference at the University of Otago on 27-29 November.
The conference is an opportunity for emerging Māori and indigenous scholars to present papers in a supportive forum and meet with other doctoral candidates and established academics.
The annual event was organised by Ngā Pai Maramatanga (NPM), Aotearoa New Zealand’s only Māori Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) which is funded by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). The centre aims to enhance institutional infrastructures to strengthen the capacity for Māori and indigenous development research and strengthen their capacity to engage with and learn from one another.
Five of our MAI ki Wairaka delegation; Aki Te’evale, Diane Tamati, Alex Watene, Hinewaimarama Reihana-White and Kuramahaurangi Kotlows gave three-minute presentations on their postgraduate research.
Two of our ākonga Kathryn George and Lephi Peneha presented posters of their research.
Also in attendance was postgraduate student Emara Feasey-Weiss and Ngā Wai a Te Tūī Director, Assoc Prof Deb Heke.
Ms Tamati (Ngati Kahungunu, Hineuru, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Te Atiawa, Ngāi Tahu) was a recipient of the MIT-Unitec Māori Kaimahi Scholarship earlier this year.
Her scholarship helped to fund her attendance at a recent conference at EIT and also the recent World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education (WIPCE) conference in Auckland, where she was one of three kaimahi (with Hinewaimarama Reihana-White and Assoc Prof Byron Rangiwai) who presented their research at the hui.
The scholarship also helped her to commence a Doctorate of Computing studies at Unitec.
In her presentation at WIPCE, Ms Tamati spoke about Unitec’s commitment to Te Noho Kotahitanga and how the institution has embraced organisational change through transformational leadership. The presentation explored how values-based leadership can support meaningful change in tertiary settings, and how Te Noho Kotahitanga provides a foundation for unity, purpose, and action within our organisation.
Her presentation in Dunedin focused was an AI impact from a Māori perspective.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to present my research not only at WIPCE but also in Dunedin for the MAI Hui a Tau,” she explained.
Whaea Hinewai says participating in WIPCE 2025 was “uplifting, invigorating and inspiring to be re-energised by indigenous thought, practice, mātauranga and culture, all converging upon inner city Tāmaki to reignite narratives that heal us as communities, and as a nation.”
Ms Reihana-White presented strands from her PhD study, Architecture of Aroha: Raranga Kaitiaki Design and Indigenous Ecologies of Care which examines how raranga (weaving) design embodies kaitiakitanga and activates indigenous ecologies of care across pā harakeke, puna, awa, and moana.
Also representing Unitec at WIPCE was Assoc. Prof. Rangiwai who presented his recent work using the pīwakawaka, or New Zealand Fantail, as a culturally significant metaphor to understand attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from a Māori perspective. This bird is known for its agility and adaptability, traits that resonate with the dynamic nature of ADHD, where individuals may exhibit spontaneous and creative behaviours.
Rangiwai’s work emphasizes the importance of integrating Māori knowledge into ADHD learning support strategies, highlighting the strengths and resilience of those with ADHD.
