Mātau Taiao

Featured image: Nudged by Te Ao Māori to explore science

Nudged by Te Ao Māori to explore science

Rosemary Rangitauira • Dec 16, 2020

Stories of the afterlife and the impact of colonisation on Ngāi Maori nudged Sylvia Tapuke on a path of exploring kaupapa Māori research and western science.  She hails from Ngāi Tūhoe, Hineuru, Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Raukawa ki te Tonga, Te Arawa and Te Whakatōhea. Talking to Sylvia makes you feel at home in her company and embraced by the … Read More

Featured image: Drawn from a young age to biology and science

Drawn from a young age to biology and science

Rosemary Rangitauira • Dec 16, 2020

The allure of the white lab coat and inventing new treatments for people’s health inspired Dr Kimiora Henare of Te Aupōuri and Te Rarawa to become a cancer biologist and biomedical scientist. Kimiora resides in Tāmaki Makaurau – working at the University of Auckland as a research fellow in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. Read More

Featured image: Matariki, history and ethnicity research honoured

Matariki, history and ethnicity research honoured

Katherine Hurst • Nov 19, 2020

Every year Royal Society Te Apārangi celebrates the achievements of researchers, scholars, and kairangahau who have achieved excellence in their disciplines throughout Aotearoa. This year separate ceremonies were held in the three main centres. In the first of two posts, we highlight the Māori and Pasifika recipients from the Auckland and Christchurch ceremonies. Read More

Featured image: Reconnecting with taha Māori on the shores of Lake Taupō

Reconnecting with taha Māori on the shores of Lake Taupō

Rosemary Rangitauira • Nov 19, 2020

In one day with her kaumatua (elder) on the southern shores of Lake Taupō, Yvonne Taura (Ngāiterangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Uenuku, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) found her future career ambition was to raise awareness in restoring New Zealand’s wetlands back to health.  In 2002 and in the middle of an identity crisis, Yvonne Taura returned home to … Read More

Featured image: Enhancing the lives of tāngata whenua

Enhancing the lives of tāngata whenua

Rosemary Rangitauira • Nov 19, 2020

Fiona Wiremu (Ngāi Tūhoe | Ngāti Ranginui) is driven to do all she can to enhance the lives of tāngata whenua and that’s evident in the multiple research areas she covers. These include mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) such as te reo Māori, culture and identity, Whai Rawa (Māori Economies), Te Taiao (Natural Environment), Mauri Ora (Human Flourishing and Wellbeing) and … Read More

Featured image: New era for Ngāti Kuri and Auckland Museum

New era for Ngāti Kuri and Auckland Museum

Guest Author • Nov 18, 2019

Words and images by Jacqui Gibson Gone are Auckland Museum’s days of doing science using a museum-centric academic approach, after Māori land rights holders Ngāti Kuri gave the museum an ultimatum. Tom Trnski holding a fossilised whale tooth from the Far North. Aussie-born Head of Natural Sciences at Auckland Museum Tom Trnski admits his first pepeha at Waiora marae … Read More

Featured image: Mātauranga Māori and kererū conservation

Mātauranga Māori and kererū conservation

Laura Goodall • Aug 18, 2016

Letting people harvest New Zealand’s protected wood pigeon can create a win-win outcome for all, says conservationist Len Gillman. Len Gillman For centuries, Māori carefully managed and harvested kererū as an important food source. As kaitiaki (environmental guardians), communities will place a rāhui (temporary ban) on specific animals or plants if numbers get too low, to allow them to recover. This mātauranga Māori (indigenous knowledge) dates back to well … Read More

Featured image: Disruptive thinking: rocket fuel for Māori innovation

Disruptive thinking: rocket fuel for Māori innovation

Laura Goodall • Jul 06, 2016

Dr Lance O’Sullivan was kicked out of school for disruptive behaviour. Twice. Now the award-winning Māori doctor has created another kind of disruption – an ambitious new health app that aims to speed up diagnosis and treatment times for common childhood illnesses. Māori innovation is skyrocketing.  The June 2016 statistics say it all: Māori innovation reached almost 65 percent … Read More

Featured image: Deciphering Matariki: science lessons from star lore

Deciphering Matariki: science lessons from star lore

Laura Goodall • Jun 09, 2016

For astronomy researcher Dr Rangi Matamua, traditional Māori star knowledge and Western science are not enemies but allies. His latest project uses historic star lore to shed light on modern environmental issues – and is also a deeply personal quest that began with a dying grandfather’s wish. Rangi Matamua Rangi Matamua’s path is literally written in the stars. Rangi (Ngai … Read More

Featured image: Health and science stars shine for Matariki Awards

Health and science stars shine for Matariki Awards

Laura Goodall • Jun 08, 2016

Talented Māori professionals behind Indigenous disabilities research, space flight and a fitness-focused health initiative are finalists for the 2016 Matariki Awards. The inaugural annual event, which celebrates extraordinary Māori talent across a broad range of fields and industries, is presented by Māori Television and Te Puni Kōkiri and pays homage to the seven stars of Matariki with seven award categories. One is the Te … Read More