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Tag Archives: MIndS

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

Iwi: Te Whakatōhea, Te Whānau-a-Apanui
Village: Leimatua (Vava’u) – Tonga
I have just recently finished as the Chief Advisor of the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh and am about to start as a Senior Manager in EY’s Consulting Division. I am also a Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity and the Global Atlantic Fellows space working with individuals and groups across the globe in the global equity space.
Sammy is graduating with a Master of Indigenous Studies.
Dissertation title: Unrelenting Achievement With Attitude – Iwi Based Education On The Rural East Coast of Aotearoa: A case study on Te Kura-a-Rohe o Ūawa me Kahukuranui – Tolaga Bay Area School me Kahukuranui’s localised and responsive curriculum
Sammy’s supervisors were Paerau Warbrick and Karyn Paringatai (Te Tumu).
Abstract: Unrelenting Achievement With Attitude is the school motto of Te Kura-a-Rohe o Ūawa me Kahukuranui – Tolaga Bay Area School me Kahukuranui on the rural East Coast of the North Island in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Located in the heart of Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti and sitting on Mangarara Pā, the former residence of Te Kani-a- Takirau, Hauiti me Ngāti Poroutanga are fixtures of the school’s localised curriculum. This case study looks to answer the question of ‘how can schools develop a localised curriculum and outcomes alongside iwi aspirations?’. The ontological position taken within this essay is that Māori success will look different within localised contexts, as well as that iwi aspirations can be given life within the New Zealand education system alongside the New Zealand Curriculum guidelines. Kaupapa Māori and indidenous approaches have been used to outline the ontological, epistemological, axiological, and methodological approaches taken throughout this work, as well as autoethnographic narrative and autoethnographic methodologies to give context to these approaches.

Ahinata Kaitai-Mullane

Ahinata Kaitai-Mullane.

Iwi: Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha
At the moment I am working as a tutor and a research assistant at Otago, primarily working on a research project with Anaru Eketone on Māori suicide postvention. I am in the process of enrolling to do my PhD at Victoria University of Wellington, looking at studying learning about, and care for, identities related to gender, sex, sexuality and body amongst Kāi Tahu young people. I am excited to continue weaving together knowledge around gender and Māori identities in my future research, working with my whānau, hapū and iwi.
Ahinata is graduating with a Master of Indigenous Studies.
Dissertation title: Decolonising Taera: Representations of wāhine Māori from early colonisation into contemporary pornography.
Ahinata’s supervisors were Angela Wanhalla (History) and Anaru Eketone (Social Work)
Abstract: This research answers the question of the impact colonisation has had on representations of wāhine Māori bodies, identities and sex, tracking the extent to which this continues in contemporary pornography. This research project takes a decolonial and Mana Wahine approach, answering this question by evaluating early colonial depictions and descriptions of wāhine Māori, comparing them to those in contemporary pornography. The significance of this lies in identifying themes in how colonial ideas continue to be impacted on wāhine Māori bodies in pornography, influencing sexual scripts, discourses and treatment of wāhine Māori in broader society. This is carried out through qualitative thematic image and textual analysis of a sample of 50 video thumbnails and titles collected from PornHub. This project argues that colonisation has influenced social discourses and scripts of wāhine Māori bodies, selves, and sex, seeing this colonial impact continuing in contemporary pornography. This project is ultimately a challenge to the power colonisation holds over wāhine Māori and our representation.

Louise Kewene-Doig

Lousie Kewene-Doig

Iwi: Waikato/ Ngāti Maniapoto
(Louise notes “our ancestor Kewene Te Haho hangs in the main room of Te Tumu. Was always lovely to see our tūpuna hanging there.”)
Currently I am working as a Policy Analyst here at the Dunedin City Council. It wasn’t a role I had thought of doing but it has been really rewarding.
I am able to use all the knowledge and expertise gained throughout my PhD journey into this role. It has been rewarding because I can see real world applications from all the knowledge I have gained. I am also an independent researcher involved in collaborative projects with the Māori and Pasifika Education Trust. I am currently working towards publishing my thesis as a book and continuing my work with the digital archive app Tutuku I created for my PhD.
Louise is graduating with a PhD.
Thesis Title: He Kohinga Kōrero: A selected group of Māori musicians and performers’ experiences of the 1960s through the Māori Showband movement.
Louise was supervised by Karyn Paringatai, Michael Reilly (Te Tumu) and Professor Emerita Khyla Russell.
Abstract: This thesis examines the unique identity of the Māori Showband movement through the narratives and experiences of a selected group of Māori Showband musicians and entertainers of the 1960s. The Māori Showband musicians and performers are connected through the whakapapa (genealogical connections) of the showband communities.
“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.  See here for details.

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)

2016 Kupe Matani Schaaf DUNEDIN

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.

matiu-mahi

Click to read: News from Te Rūnanga o Koukourārata, Te Pānui Rūnaka: A Monthly Newsletter of Kāi Tahu News, Views and Events, May 2015.