August graduands
This Saturday (20 August) is graduation day. It is always wonderful when Te Tumu students graduate, but especially postgraduate students. Completing an Honours, Masters, or Doctoral degree requires a huge amount of determination, because it encompasses a significant piece of self-directed research. A dissertation or thesis is not easy task. He mihi tēnei hei whakahōnore i ngā tāngata kua whakaoti i taua haerenga.
Sammy Hughes and whānau
Sammy Hughes
Ahinata Kaitai-Mullane
Ahinata Kaitai-Mullane.
Louise Kewene-Doig
Lousie Kewene-Doig
“He Kohinga Kōrero: A Selected Group of Māori Musicians and Performers’ Experiences of
the 1960s Through the Māori Showband Movement,” is grounded in Māori Studies but
informed by previous research in Ethnomusicology. The written component of this thesis is
partnered with my nominated creative component Tutuku. Tutuku is a digital archive created alongside “He Kohinga Kōrero,” which uses the research gained as informed commentary within the digital archive.
This thesis creates a new understanding of the Māori Showband identity and success.
Scholarly research surrounding this popular musical movement is sparse. The first part of this thesis investigates the cultural and social climate for Māori before 1960 that lead to the
opportunities and emergence of this musical movement. Chapter one introduces the digital archive and discusses the barriers to accessing stories and knowledge. It also lays down the ground work of the research methods used and the importance of kaupapa Māori research methodologies.
Latest Masters of Indigenous Studies Graduate
Margaret Courtney and her whānau. (Click to enlarge)
Graduation is always the culmination of a lot of hard work. At last week’s graduation, we had our latest graduate, Margaret Courtney, walk across the staff to collect her hard-earned Masters of Indigenous Studies degree certificate. Margaret, of Te Arawa (Tūhourangi,
Ngāti Whakaue, and Tapuika), also holds an LLB from Waikato University, and works as a Regional Advisor for Te Puni Kōkiri. I asked her to send me a short account of her studies, and the abstract of her research dissertation. Koia kei a koe, Margaret!
“My journey to complete my Masters qualification was a journey of personal growth, perseverance and enlightenment. Combining my experience of Whenua Māori, the Native Land Court system and integrating it with the history of our tūpuna and iwi has helped to fill knowledge gaps for my whānau. Given our ‘nuclear family’ upbringing my research emphasised the importance of Whenua Māori as a connection to our tūpuna but also strengthens our Whānau Mātauranga. It is this knowledge that we can pass onto our tamariki and mokopuna.
“The Master of Indigenous Studies programme at Te Tumu was the best option for me given I live and work in Rotorua. It provided a part time online option which complimented by mahi and lifestyle. The paper offerings provided choice and completing the dissertation cemented my learnings. I enjoyed the mixed forms of delivery and assessments.
“I am thankful for the support and patience of my supervisor Dr Paerau Warbrick. He provided good advice, steered me on track when needed, and helped me to extend my knowledge and research skills. Ka nui te mihi ki a koe, e whānaunga! To my whānau, your continued support is unwavering!”
Abstract
This research supports the view that whenua Māori is important in today’s global environment and remains a vital connection to our tūpuna, our iwi and our whānau history.
This is illustrated through an exploration of the author’s connection to Tūhourangi, an iwi of Te Arawa, the impact that the Native land legislation had on Tūhourangi and specifically the whenua, Rotomahana Parekārangi in the nineteenth century. The research explores the path of Rotomahana Parekārangi through the Native Land Court regime. The research concludes with an example of how the author’s whānau are making attempts to transmit their collective whānau mātauranga to the younger members of their whānau. This is in order to provide the whānau with experiences of the whenua, of their iwi and to understand the importance of their connection to the whenua derived from their tūpuna. It is important that the younger generation are cognisant of these connections and whānau mātauranga as, in time, they will become the kaitiaki of the whenua, and will need to pass this knowledge onto their mokopuna.
Te Tumu Graduates in May 2017
Eight Te Tumu students graduated in the May ceremonies last weekend.
Hine Te Ariki Parata-Walker (Ngāti Porou, Ngāi Tahu) completed a Master of Indigenous Studies (MIndS). Her research topic, supervised by Professor Paul Tapsell, investigated procedures around hahunga (the exhumation of ancestral remains) in modern times. Select Parata-Walker abstract for further details.
Karurangi Salu (Tainui, Ngāpuhi, Samoan) gained a BA(Hons) with her research, entitled “Māku anō tōku nei whare e hanga”, looked at how haka and waiata are used in teaching at Te Whare Kura o Rākaumanga to pass on Tainui history, reo, tikanga and whakapapa. Dr Karyn Paringātai supervised. Select Salu abstract for further details.
Rieko Hayakawa also graduated with a PhD in Pacific Islands Studies.
Congratulations also to our BA graduates.
Alice Anderson (Ngāi Tahu), BA in Indigenous Development/Te Kura Matanui.
Luaipouamalo Gafa (Samoan), BA in Pacific Islands Studies.
Maiora Puketapu-Dentice (Te Āti Awa, Tūhoe), BA in Māori Studies and History.
Tataioterangi Reedy (Ngāti Porou, Te Whānau a Apanui), BA in Indigenous Development/Te Kura Matanui.
Roma Simmons-Donaldson (Ngāti Porou, Taranaki, Tainui, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), BA in Māori Studies.
Postgraduates Graduating
Te Tumu congratulates our postgraduate students who are graduating this December.
Doctor of Philosophy
Matani Fakatotua Schaaf
Supervisors: Dr. Paerau Warbrick, Prof. Michael Reilly (until 2012, Prof. Brendan Hokowhitu)
Matani Schaaf and Minister of Education, Hekia Parata.
Title: Motivation and Burnout in Professional Pasifiki Rugby Players
This thesis examined the participation motivation among professional Pasifiki rugby players. Dominated by Western theories and models, rugby participation research has overlooked the inclusion of a theory or model that is significant to Pasifiki peoples. This research identified what cultural factors exist, that motivate so many Pasifiki peoples to play rugby. This research also highlighted a mismatch between the lived realities of Pasifiki rugby players’ experiences of motivation and burnout, compared to the lived realities of Palāngi rugby players. The most notable outcome, was that Pasifiki rugby players’ experiences were dramatically intensified, by familial, cultural, spiritual and financial obligations; which manifested in burnout, mental illness, substance abuse, binge drinking and failed attempts at suicide.
Master of Indigenous Studies
Te Tumu also has two Master of Indigenous Studies (MIndS) students graduating.
Nurul Sultan, supervised by Dr Lyn Carter, researched “The Relevance of Indigenous Knowledge in Contemporary Research Methodologies”.
Nikki Walden (Taranaki, Te Āti Awa), supervised by Assoc Prof. Merata Kawharu, undertook her MIndS research on “Āhurutanga: the practice and application of a customary Māori principle within a Māori tertiary context. Mā te whakaharatau e tika ai.”
Career Advancement for Te Tumu Graduate
A belated congratulations also from Te Tumu to Matiu Payne who is now Te Ihu Takiwā Regional Manager for Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. Matiu completed his Master of Indigenous Studies at Te Tumu, and is currently undertaking PhD study with us on Ngāti Mutunga and the Native Land Court.
Click to read: News from Te Rūnanga o Koukourārata, Te Pānui Rūnaka: A Monthly Newsletter of Kāi Tahu News, Views and Events, May 2015.
