Mātauranga Māori seminar from key wāhine Māori centres relationships, community and hapū
Mātauranga Māori was the centre of a fabulous Te Tumu Special Seminar Panel on Wednesday afternoon hosted at Te Rangihīroa College. Te Tumu Pūkenga Kare Tipa facilitated a vibrant, engaging and generous kōrero with wāhine Māori, Paulette Tamati-Elliffe, Tāwini White, Victoria Campbell as they reflected together about their experiences in the national Hautapu for Matariki as well as broader roles and responsibilities they have for uplifting and sustaining mātauranga Māori in their respective spaces.
There were several important themes that developed during the panel including leadership, family and the importance of relationships, locality, community, humility, responsibility, hapū, and doing your best. All of which was well received by a room filled with family, university students and staff, high school students and other interested people from the wider community.
For each of the panellists there were clear moments in their lives where the motivation for wanting their children and their mokopuna to have the language, really pushed the directions that they took in their careers, with their families, and in their communities. As each speaker reflected on her personal journey into te reo, it was clear that the process can look different and take time, but that it can positively change the way you live and the way you connect with the world around you.
Tāwini White commented that her “Mum was the key to the door of Kāi Tahutaka”. Both her parents were strong advocates of te reo and would take her along to things like Kotahi Mano Kāika (KMK) as it launched. As White’s niece made her way in the world, White knew that she wanted to be someone who could provide access to te reo and mātauranga, something she also practices with her two-year-old son.
Victoria Campbell talked about how there are different ways of navigating te reo journeys. Her early experiences of te reo and being Māori were quite formal and centred around her Mum, who, as an excellent cook, would often be out at the marae, at schools or in other community spaces. While her Mum and other women around her would often speak in English, the way they spoke, they idioms they used, the way they were with each other, all connected with Māori ways of being and knowing. Her Mum started learning te reo in her 50s and that has been really inspiring for her to see.
Tamati-Elliffe and her partner wanted to be “te reo grandparents” to create spaces where their children and mokopuna would have te reo because “it’s not just a language, it’s a worldview. Something that connects you to your past, present and future”.
Kare Tipa provided useful framing in the colonial underpinnings of the term mātauranga Māori but also the ways it has been reclaimed by Māori. Which opened a space for the panellists to consider the ways they apply and embed mātauranga in their lives and the work they do. Tipa emphasised that “everything we do comes from our localities, our knowledge”, but not all knowledge belongs to all people. There is knowledge that is specific to whānau, to hapū, to iwi and then there is knowledge for everyone, and it is important to uphold those boundaries.
Campbell also highlighted the importance of connecting with and understanding Indigenous time and seasonality, particularly (but not only) as it is practised for ceremonies related to Matariki and Puaka. Early on, Tamatai-Elliffe made a statement about the vastness of mātauranga Māori as something that one could easily study for a lifetime, “but unless you can apply it, what does it mean?”.
Strong perspectives were also given on the role the university can play in upholding and embedding mātauranga Māori across all spaces in the institution. These wāhine are all significantly involved practitioners of mātauranga Māori. And while some do not consider themselves as experts, it is clear how integral the practice and execution of mātauranga Māori is in their lives and the wide-ranging and beneficial work that they do. This is reflected in the roles they had as part of the kairuruku for the national Hautapu ceremony, but it also extends to kaupapa and movements that have been decades in the making and that each of these women are committed to continuing for the benefit of generations to come.
All the panellists were generous with their time and insight which had deep valuable for all who attended. There is certainly appetite and anticipation for more kōrero of this nature and wider engagement with diverse groups. The event was made possible with support from the Office of Māori Development, the team at Te Rangihīroa College and Te Tumu Research Committee.
Te Tumu scholar part of Kāhui Kairuruku the national Hautapu for Matariki
Ko Kare Tipa tōku ikoa, my ancestry comes from many hapū of Kāi Tahu iwi: (Kāti Ruahikihiki, Kāti Hāteatea,Kāi Te Aotaumarewa, Hinematua, Kāi Tuke, Kāti Huirapa, Kāti Rakiāmoa, Kāi Tuahuriri, Kāti Hinemihi, Kāti Wairaki, Kāti Urihia On Friday 28 June I was honoured to be part of the Kāhui Kairuruku, a collective of language and cultural practitioners that delivered 13 karakia as part of the national Hautapu ceremony held 2,008m above sea level, adjacent to the mighty ranges of Kā Tiritiri O Te Moana, on a pituresque mountain widely known as Treble Cone. Matariki allows us to reflect on whānau and experiences at a time when we welcome the new year. It is also a time to farewell the old, the past year gone.
It was appropriate to hold the hautapu ceremony in Wānaka. Māori history tells of Wānaka where early iwi, in particular ‘Waitaha’, assembled for learning of tribal lore. Wānaka is Kāi tahu alternative form of the word ‘wānanga’ referring to the ancient schools of learning. The area boasts of rocky alpines, tussock foliage and lakes dug out from the eponymous ancestor Rākaihautū. From the ski field on Treble Cone, one is able to feast eyes on the visible features of the land, the aesthetic appeal formed by the digging stick of Rākaihautū. Lakes dug out in Te Waipounamu are known as Kā Puna Karikari a Rākaihatū (the springs of water dug by Rākaihautū).
From ancestoral acts of the past to what is experienced today, Kāti Ruahikihiki descandants (the kairuruku for the hautapu) are made up primarily of young language assailants raised in the Kāi Tahu language revitalisation strategy: Kotahi Mano Kāika (KMK). KMK leads the charge to reinvigorate our language within Kāi Tahu homes and communities. It is a 25 year old strategy which aims to have at least 1000 Kāi Tahu kāika speaking te reo Māori by 2025.
As a practitioner, I have been both a beneficiary of and contributor to KMK. My children and grandson are part of the collective to revitalise and change the narrative with language normalisation here in Te Waipounamu. To be apart of the collective with our young adults is a tremendous highlight for me as a hākui in the strategy. The Hautapu ceremony is shared with a different iwi annually, this recent ceremony is historical for Kāi Tahu, it highlights the language strategy in action alive and vibrant, it sets a precedence of first language speakers who can conduct formal tikaka in te reo. I may not be here to stand with this collective when the Hautapu returns to Kāi Tahu iwi in the future, but I’m proud to have had this moment of standing with first language speakers adding to the histories of today.
Inaugural Te Tumu Symposium a showcase of diverse research excellence
On Wednesday 5 June, Te Tumu, School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies, hosted its inaugural research symposium to share and celebrate research from Te Tumu. The day began with a welcome from Te Tumu Dean Prof Patrick Vakaoti and a history of Te Tumu from Prof Michael Reilly. The programme included four sessions of Te Tumu staff and postgraduate students’ presentations, constructive question and answers segments, feedback, and encouragement.
Supported by Te Tumu’s Research Committee and Postgraduate Committee, the event welcomed attendance from those who are based in Ōtepoti, as well as distance students who are based in Te Whanganui ā Tara, and as far afield as New Caledonia. With special Tītī and fry bread kai, this gathering was truly an inspiring occasion and speaks to exciting research work that Te Tumu staff and students are doing locally, and regionally that are important contributions for their communities, and for the growth of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies scholarship.
Session 1 was facilitated by Dr Paerau Warbrick, a lecturer in Māori Studies, and included presentations by Te Tumu staff member Paia Taani on intergenerational language transmission; and PhD students, Jenni Tupu who presented about transracial adoption, and Ella Cameron-Smith who presented on Ngaati Korokii Kahukura kai identities.
Session 2 was facilitated by Dr Telesia Kalavite, a lecturer in Pacific Studies, and included presentations by four PhD students: Frédéric Dichtel who presented on te reo grammatical structures; Regina Maniam who presented on engaging Indigenous values and methods in doctoral research; Stacey Kokaua-Balfour who presented on Cook Islands’ creative texts relating to the environment and climate change; and Jay Quintos who presented on critical perspectives on films about the Tboli people in the Philippines.
Session 3 was facilitated by Prof Michael Reilly, the Postgraduate Chair of Te Tumu. The session included staff member Prof Richard Jackson who presented on non-violent approaches to counterterrorism, and two PhD students: Jude Bautista who presented on visual social semiotics and critical lenses in discourse analyses; Kim Cope Tait who presented on personal sovereignty in the poetry of Hinemoana Baker.
Session 4 was facilitated by Dr Emma Powell, lecturer in Indigenous Studies and Programme Coordinator of the Master of Indigenous Studies (MIndS). The session included three MIndS distance students: Melissa Denzler, based in Te Whanganui ā Tara who presented on the cultural taxation of kaiako Māori; Elizabeth Hamilton, based in Whakatū, who presented on a approach for honouring Te Tiriti specifically relating to language learning policies for migrants and former refugees; and James Uri-Puati, based in the Cook Islands, who presented on a critical Indigenous framework for theorising second language learning.
Niue texts researcher signs MOU with Tāoga Niue
Last week, Dr Jess Pasisi (Mutalau, Hikutavake, Niue; Ngāti Pikiao, Tahiti) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) alongside Moira Enetama, Director of Tāoga Niue, Ministry of Social Services, of the Government of Niue. The MOU relates to Dr Pasisi’s Marsden […]
Te Hiringa o te pao
Ko Kare Tipa tēnei, e kauwhau ana i Te Kura o Ōruapaeroa, Ōtautahi 2024.
Inātata nei, i rarau atu kā kaimanako o te reo ki tētahi hui taumata ki Te Kura o Ōruapaeroa, Ōtautahi 23-24 Māehe 2024. Ko Terea Te Waka te hui taumata e kōrero nā, he mea whakatū e Te Pae Motuhake o Te Tai Toka. He mea tautoko hoki tēnei hui e Te Mātāwai hai whakaohooho, hai whakaaweawe i kā reaka o nāianei kia tika te kawe i kā ōhākī tuku iho, kia whakairohia te anamata mō ā tātau tamariki mokopuna.
Nā ko tētahi o kā kaikōrero matua o te hui nā, ko Kare Tipa. He kaiako ia ki Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, waihoki, koni atu i te kahuru tau ia e whakaako ana ki kā Kura Reo. He taiwahine a Kare i pakeke mai i Te Tai o Araiteuru, i raro hoki i āna mauka kōrero. Ko Moeraki ake te papamoe ō ōna tīpuna, heoi, nō te tokorima taotao o Tahu tou tēnei īnati.
Kaupapa Kōrero: Te Hirika o te pao!
Ko tā Kare he hāpai, he whakatinana, he whakatauria i te reo me ōna tikaka. I te nuika o te wā kai ruka i te horopaki o ‘Te tū o te wahine nō Kāi Tahu’. I tō Kare whai i te reo, ko KMK hoki tētahi puna reo i whai waahi atu a Kare i roto i kā tau. Ko tōhona takeka pūkeka, kai kā mahi a Rukutia, arā ko kā mahi tito ko kā wānaka reo me kā wānanka tikaka Māori, otirā, kai te tuhia hoki tana tuhika kairaki. Nō nākuanei a Kare kua whakahaere wānaka hai whakapakari i kā pūkeka wāhine, pūkeka karaka, pūkeka pao, pūkeka mōteatea hoki, tae atu ki ētahi tikaka mahika kai.
PacTNet panel discussion & Pacific Voices Alumni celebration
On 27 November 2023, 20 years of the University of Otago’s Pacific Voices Postgraduate Symposium was celebrated with alumni, staff and current Pacific students at the Auahi Ora space in the Student Union Building. The evening programme began with an address from Tofilau Nina Kirifi-Alai, past manager of the Pacific Islands Centre and current Pacific Community Engagement Manager in Auckland. Tofilau shared reflections on establishing the symposium after seeing the need for postgraduate support in 2002 and gave encouraging words for organisers and students taking the symposium forward.
Her opening remarks were followed by an address from Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research & Enterprise, Professor Richard Blaikie who commented on Pacific research within the context of the University’s strategic direction. He enthusiastically supported Tofilau’s opening remarks and later engaged openly with the audience during the Q&A session at the end of the evening.
Panelists L-R Dr Tui Rakuita (Sociology), Dr Jess Pasisi (Te Tumu), Professor Rose Richards (Acting Director, Pacific Development Office & Co-Director of Coastal People, Southern Skies) and facilitator Dr Emma Powell (Te Tumu).
As a part of the programme, the symposium organisers and staff from the Pacific Development Office teamed up with the Pacific Thought Network (PacTNet) to arrange a public panel discussion. Earlier this year in May, PacTNet held its inaugural Pacific Lecture which was given by Tootooleaava Dr Fanaafi Aiono Le-Tagaloa and the panel gathered key Pacific thinkers from our university community to reflect on the ideas and comments made in the lecture. The panellists were Professor Rose Richards (Acting Director, Pacific Development Office & Co-Director of Coastal People, Southern Skies), Dr Tui Rakuita from Sociology and our very own, Dr Jess Pasisi. All of the panellists gave stimulating thoughts on Tootooleaava’s lecture, ranging from comment on Pacific leadership at the University of Otago, the significance of the diaspora to Pacific thinking, and the romanticism with which we hold Indigenous knowledge.
Dean of Te Tumu, Professor Patrick Vakaoti.
The PacTNet steering committee is made up of a number of our Te Tumu staff: Professor Patrick Vakaoti, Dr Telesia Kalavite and Dr Emma Powell. They are also joined by Dr Allamanda Fa‘atoese who is based in Christchurch and Dr Charles Radclyffe from Archaeology.
A number of our Te Tumu students participated and presented on their research during the Pacific Voices Symposium XX which was held on the following day, Tuesday 28 November 2023. For photos and coverage, check out the story from Pacific Communications Advisor, Keilah Vaetoru Fox, here.
MAI hui-ā-tau hosted by Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Massey University in Palmerston North
MAI ki Otago contingent at MAI hui ā-tau ki Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Massey University in Pamerston North.
Tokowhā ngā tauira Tohu Kairangi o Te Tumu e haere ana. Te rawe hoki o ngā kōrero me te whakawhanaungatanga i puta ai i reira. Kei runga noa atu te manaakitanga o ngā kaiwhakahaere nō reira, ngā mihi maioha ki a rātou. E rere hoki ana ngā mihi ki Te Kura Rangahau Tāura, ki a Rachel Sizemore kōrua ko Inano Walter i ā kōrua manaaki i a mātou, ko MAI ki Otago.
Inano Taripo-Walker, Paia Taani, Alice Karetai, Leteisha Te Awhe-Downey
This year the annual MAI conference was hosted by Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Massey University in at the Palmerston North campus. Four PhD students from Te Tumu attended the hui. The presentations and networking opportunities were awesome. The hospitality of our hosts was amazing which we all appreciated. We also thank The Graduate Research School especially Rachel Sizemore and Inano Walter for supporting and looking after the MAI ki Otago group.
Highlighting research: Teachers of mainstream curricula, teaching Māori speaking children
Paia Taani, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Whare, Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Uenukukōpako
Earlier this year Paia Taani, one of Te Tumu’s staff members published an article based on the research undertaken for her master’s degree which investigated teacher preparedness to teach te reo Māori speaking children in mainstream primary schools. Some of her key findings included an awareness of how language and culture impact on identity and educational outcomes. Although participants acknowledged the absolute necessity that te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are included in all aspects of the education setting, they also reported that tikanga Māori is a more comfortable space to be in than te reo Māori as there were clear connections to their own values.
Four key themes emerged from the findings which Paia promotes in the article as key factors for teacher readiness to teach reo Māori speaking children. These are: Kia rite (be prepared), Kia hono (be connected); Kia tātatiako (be culturally competent and responsive) and, Kia whakauruuru (be integrative). This article discusses those four factors listed above and implications for tamariki, their whānau, teachers and ITE providers. You can find the link to her article here, published in the New Zealand Journal of Teachers’ Work, June 2023.
https://ojs.aut.ac.nz/teachers-work/article/view/362
Paia will be presenting on this kaupapa next week, at the New Zealand Association for Research in Education Conference in Palmerston North.
First PhD oral examination held at Ōtākou Marae
E tino poho kererū ana ngā tāngata o Te Tumu ki a Megan Pōtiki. He pūkenga o mua a Megan, ā, ko tētahi o ā mātou tauira tohu kairangi. I tērā wiki, ka tū te whakamātautau o tāna tuhinga kairangi ki tōna marae, i Ōtākou. Koinei te whakamātautau kairangi tuatahi ki tētahi marae o tēnei rohe. Ko “Te Hū o Moho” te ingoa o tāna tuhinga e whakamāramatia nei ngā take i mate ai te reo Māori ki te kāika o Ōtākou i te haurua tuatahi o te rua tekau o ngā rautau. Ko Paerau Warbrick rāua ko Lachy Paterson ngā kaiārahi mō ngā mahi rangahau nei a Megan. I te hui hoki tōna whānau rātou ko ōna hoa. I reira hoki a Jacinta Ruru (ko te kaiwhakarite o te whakamātautau) rātou ko ngā kaiwhakawā tokorua, ko Tony Ballantyne rāua ko Peter Meihana (nō Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa). Pai rawa atu te kōrero whakamārama a Megan, me āna whakahoki i ngā pātai a ngā kaiwhakawā. Ka mutu ngā pātai a Tony rāua ko Peter, ka matapakitia āna rangahau e ērā atu tāngata o te hui. He tikanga rerekē tēnei, ā, ka whakaaetia e te katoa he tikanga pai, ā, ka whakamahia pea mō ngā whakamātautau kairangi katoa. Heoi, ka whakatau ngā kaiwhakawā, he rawe te tuhinga a Megan. Kia whakatikatia he hapa pakupaku, ka oti āna mahi. He rongo tino pai tēnei. He nunui hoki ā mātou mihi ki ngā tāngata whenua o Ōtākou mō te pai o te pōwhiri, me te reka hoki o te hākari.
Megan Pōtiki pictured here with her whānau, and kaitautoko from the University of Otago at Ōtākou Marae.
Staff at Te Tumu are extremely proud of Megan Pōtiki. She was a former lecturer, and has been one of our PhD students. Last week, the examination of her doctoral thesis was held at her marae, at Ōtākou. This is the first doctoral examination on a marae of this region. Her thesis is entitled “Te Hū o Moho” in which she explained the causes of the death of the Māori language in her village of Ōtākou in the first half of the twentieth century. Paerau Warbrick and Lachy Paterson were the supervisors of her research work. Her friends and family were also at the hui. There too were Jacinta Ruru (the examination convenor) and two of the examiners, Tony Ballantyne and Peter Meihana (Massey University). Megan gave an excellent presentation, as were her answers to the examiners’ questions. When they had concluded their questions, other people at the hui then discussed her research. This was a departure from normal process, and everyone agreed it was a great tikanga that might be used for all doctoral examinations. The examiners determined that Megan’s thesis was excellent, and when she tidies a few typos, she will be finished. This is great news. We would also like to thank the local people at Ōtākou for their warm welcome, and the wonderful food.
Te hiranga o te ao kapa haka
Ko Maioha Watson, Nō Tainui, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Manawa, Te Āti Awa me Te Arawa
To celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, the Te Tumu Research Committee is showcasing the exceptional work of Māori postgraduate students writing their theses in te reo. Roma Donaldson-Gush talked to Maioha Watson, and asked him to share some insights about his rangahau.
Kia kaha te reo Māori te kaupapa matua o tēnei wiki. Hei whakamana i tō tātou reo Māori, kua kōrero atu a Roma Donalson-Gush ki ētahi o ngā tauira Māori e tuhi ana i ā rātou ake tuhinga roa (Tohu Paerua, Tohu Kairangi rānei) i te reo Māori. Ia rā o te wiki nei, ka whakaatu ai tētahi o aua tauira, i tēnei rā, ko Maioha Watson tērā.
Ko te kaupapa o tōna tuhingaroa, he whakakīkī haere i te puna rangahau e hīnātore ai te hiranga o te ao kapa haka ki te ao whānui, inarā, i ōna hua maha ki te hunga rangatahi. Ko te ngako, he matapaki i ngā wheako o te hunga rangatahi kātahi anō ka whakaeke atu ai ki te papa tātāwhāinga o Te Matatini; me te aha, he whakatairanga i ōna kura huna ki te ao.
Nā te aha koe i whiriwhiri i tēnei huarahi ki te tuhi i tō tuhinga whakapae i roto i te reo Māori?
“Nōku e matapaki, e whāwhā ana i te puna o te kī, me uaua ka kitea ngā hua o te ao haka ki te hunga rangatahi, me te mea hoki, he kaha tonu nō te ao pūtaiao Pākehā ki te whakahāwea i ō tātou mātauranga Māori. Nā konā i toka ai te whakatau, me tuhi taku tuhinga whakapae i te reo Māori. Hei āpitihanga, ko tāku e tōngakingaki nei ko te whakamāori i te kōrerotia o te reo Māori, kia maringi, kia tangata whenua, kia noho ko tōku reo ake, hei reo mātāmua mōku.”
He aha ngā āhuatanga matua, ngā hua me kī, kua puta i tō kōwhiringa ki te tuhi i roto i te reo Māori?
“Ko te ako, ko te whakawhānui ake i ōku mōhiotanga ki tōku ao. I te mutunga iho, ko tāku he whakahoki i ōku wheako, i ngā mātauranga kua akona e au ki tōku iwi, hei oranga mōna.”
He kupu tohutohu, he kupu akiaki rānei āu mō ngā tauira e hiahia ana ki te whai rangahau i roto i te reo Māori?
“Ākina, kōrerotia te reo! Kaua e kōrapa, e ngāueue ki te tuku i tō reo kia rere. Whakanuia, whakarangatirahia tā tātou taonga, tō tātou reo kāmehameha, ki te ngutu o te makiu.”
