IN THIS ISSUE
- Te Pūrongo o Ngā Pou Matarua | Co-Directors Update
- Kaupapa o te Marama: Covid-19 Vaccination And Protecting Our Communities
- Rangahau | Research
- Puna Mātauranga | NPM Journals, Publications
- He Pitopito Kōrero | News, Announcements
- Manaakitanga | Opportunities
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Tiakina te taiao, kia toitū te ao tūroa
Tiakina te tangata, kia haumaru te noho
Tiakina te whakapapa, kia puāwai te pā harakeke
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Te Pūrongo o Ngā Pou Matarua | Co-Directors Update
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The month of August - Ākuhata - also known as Hereturikōkā or Here o Pipiri - is the time of our maramataka where conditions are optimal for planting and fishing. It is a time for grounding, and to be in close connection with Papatūānuku.
The current national lockdown has grounded most of us, the non-essentials of the motu, in ways that were unanticipated before the previous lockdown. However, the Delta-variant has brought uncertainty and concern—having seen its impact on the international stage.
Experts at improvisation under duress, the NPM secretariat moved swiftly and safely to remote working with relative ease. While primarily Tāmaki- based, the our secretariat and Pou Matarua (Co-Directors) also have mirumiru in Waikato, Rotorua and Te Tairāwhiti.
With tertiary institutions closed for at least a month, our partner entities have focused on delivering online learning to students, with ā-kanohi research and activities suspended for the foreseeable future.
Our focus at NPM has been on ensuring that our staff and researchers are safe and well, and able to maintain balance within their mirumiru given their many commitments and responsibilities. Zui have been essential for keeping us connected but we are also mindful that zui fatigue is real!
Throughout the pandemic, NPM kairangahau have been active in advocating for COVID-19 vaccination to keep our communities safe
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We know all too well the existing inequities within the healthcare system, the disproportionate disease burden that Māori already carry, and the grave consequences of under-vaccination for our whānau and communities, particularly when the borders re-open.
We know that there are whānau - too many - who are hurting at this time and our thoughts and aroha go out to them. One of our Ruanuku has even become an essential worker and is helping with care packs at the marae.
Finally, returning to our maramataka, we note the much-anticipated recent release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report (https://www.ipcc.ch/).
Climate change impacts and adaptation have been a priority research area for NPM for some time. Our Te Tai Ao platform, led by Dr Shaun Awatere of Manaaki Whenua was built on a diverse range of projects and activities relating to our whenua, wai and climate change.
Climate change mitigation and adaptation remains an important concern for our communities and will be a critical focus for further NPM research especially our environmental relationships and social wellbeing. We look forward to formally launching with an expert webinar panel the innovative research report from our Te Tai Ao research platform - He huringa āhuarangi, he huringa ao: A changing climate, a changing world. We look forward to sharing more details in due course.
Pou Matarua | Co-Directors
- Professor Linda Waimarie Nikora
- Professor Tahu Kukutai
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Kaupapa o te Marama: COVID-19 vaccination and protecting our communities
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As the motu headed into lockdown, attention quickly turned to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and the risks posed to whānau Māori due to low coverage rates. For 18 months, Māori public health experts have been calling for an equity-focused rollout approach that included Māori aged under 65 years in the vaccine priority groups.
Modelling indicates that Māori have 2.5 times greater odds of hospitalisation from COVID-19 than the non-Māori, non-Pacific (non-MP) population, controlling for age and pre-existing conditions. NZ Medical Journal Article
A separate but related paper has also shown that targeting high-risk groups for vaccination will result in fewer hospitalisations and deaths. The Lancet Western Pacific, Research Paper
NPM lead researcher Professor Papaarangi Reid, from the National Māori Pandemic Response Group Te Roopu Whakakaupapa Urutā, and her fellow co-chair Dr Rawiri Jansen, have been at the forefront of calls for a much higher level of Māori influence over the vaccine rollout design and implementation. NZ Herald article: Top Māori GP Dr Rawiri Jansen quits Government's immunisation group
Recent vaccine coverage data show we have every reason to be concerned. At most age groups Māori have the lowest vaccination rates, and the difference is most marked at younger ages. Covid-19: Vaccine Data
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The most recent data (to 1 Sep 2021) showed only around 19% of Māori aged 12-24 yrs have had at least 1 dose. Given that half of the Māori population is aged under 26 years, under-vaccination at younger ages has the potential for outsized impacts on whānau.
Overall, only around 19% of Māori are fully vaccinated, much lower than either Pacific peoples or the non-MP population. The share of Māori who are fully vaccinated increases to around 26% once adjustments are made for age structure. This remains well short of the high coverage (at least 90%) needed to keep whānau safe. NPM will continue to amplify the advocacy of our pūkenga in the coming months to encourage whānau to get vaccinated.
Meanwhile iwi and hapori health providers have continued to show outstanding manaakitanga during the lockdown, mobilising their staff and resources quickly to stand up vaccination centres. These included Te Whānau o Waipareira in West Auckland, Ngāti Toa Ora Toa Community Health Service in Porirua, and Awarua Whānau Services in Invercargill. Kei runga noa atu koutou.
Enjoy this social media clip prepared by the Auckland DHB.
Tō mask e kare!
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NPM Tautoko COVID-19 Research
The Wellbeing of Māori Pre and Post Covid-19 Lockdown in Aotearoa/New Zealand
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Throughout COVID-19, NPM has supported a strong Te Ao Māori pandemic response and recovery. The NPM Tautoko COVID-19 Research Fund provided funding for 11 projects and activities to support Māori-led solutions for pandemic-related prevention and adaptation. The time-sensitive nature of the research called for rapid planning, research and action.
Completed in June 2021, the projects were able to identify challenges and strengths within our communities, inform real-time responses, and provide an evolving evidence base.
One project, The wellbeing of Māori pre and post Covid-19 lockdown in Aotearoa / New Zealand, was led by Associate Professor Carla Houkamau and her team from the Māori Identity and Financial Attitudes Study (MIFAS) Research Group. After last year’s first nationwide lockdown, MIFAS surveyed 3000+ Māori, providing an important source of information for understanding Māori pandemic experiences and the impacts on individual and whānau wellbeing.
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International evidence suggests the social and economic impacts of the pandemic will be felt for longer and more intensely for those already living in precarious conditions. A strength of this project was its Māori specific focus.
It is important to note that the survey was completed during the early stages of the pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand (April - November 2020) and, at that time, the primary concern for many was to secure the safety of their families and loved ones, rather than long-term thinking about resilience and sustainability.
To learn more about research and its key findings view the report here
MIFAS Research Team: Dr Carla Houkamau (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu, Kāi Tahu), Dr Kiri Dell (Ngāti Porou), Dr Jamie Newth (Ngāpuhi), Dr Jason Paul Mika (Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Kahungunu), Dr Chris Sibley (Pākehā), Turuhia Keelan (Ngāti Porou), Tamela Dunn (Ngāpuhi)
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He Pitopito Kōrero | News, Announcements
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Ngāi Tahu Research Centre appoints its first Professor
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Congratulations to Dr Shaun Ogilvie - Te Arawa (Ngāti Whakahemo), Ngāti Awa (Ngāti Pūkeko) - who was recently appointed the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre’s first Professor of Ecology and the Environment.
Shaun is Chair of NPM's Te Tira Takimano, which brings together our 21 partner entities, and has been a Principal Investigator on many significant NPM research projects over the years. Read more
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Māori high school students inspired to take up STEMM fields - science, technology, engineering, maths and Mātauranga
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Pūhoro Academy has partnered with the University of Waikato to accelerate the participation and success of tauira Māori in STEMM - science, technology, engineering, maths and Mātauranga - over the next three years.
Pūhoro will work with Māori high school students throughout the Waikato rohe to ignite their passions in these fields, providing an enhanced STEMM learning experience underpinned by mātauranga Māori. Watch Te Ao Māori News
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$5m Grant an Iwi First to Drive Better Health Outcomes for Ngāti Hauiti Uri and Māori Around the Motu
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Whakauae Research Services was awarded $5 million from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) for a five-year programme to build knowledge on what is needed for better health outcomes for Māori and Aotearoa.
Whakauae Research Centre Director Amohia Boulton, who is part of our NPM research network, says the research is critical to effect the changes needed to improve health outcomes for Māori. The aim is to release findings throughout the course of the programme, so evidence can be used to inform policy and strategy work happening now in the health sector. Read more here
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Puna Mātauranga | Publications, Journals
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Waking the Taniwha: Māori Governance in the 21st Century
Robert Joseph & Richard Benton (Eds.) (Thomson Reuters, Wellington, New Zealand, 2021)
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NPM is proud to have supported the publication of an important new book co-edited by NPM researcher Associate Professor Robert Joseph along with Dr Richard Benton.
Waking the Taniwha: Māori Governance in the 21st Century is a comprehensive analysis of the complex challenges arising out of the development of Māori governance structures in the post-Treaty of Waitangi settlement period. As well as bringing together the many elements that comprise the governance of Māori corporate entities, the book highlights key principles and best practices of Māori corporate governance. Its publication is a milestone in Aotearoa New Zealand legal writing. It is a single-stop research text for iwi, post-settlement governance entities, legal advisors and those looking to work with those entities in partnership.
The chapters were written by an expert author team of Indigenous and allied academics, practitioners, and members of the judiciary and includes: Robert Joseph, Chellie Spiller, Natalie Coates, Michael Ross, Steven Kent, Julie Cassidy, Mark Hickford, Jason Paul Mika, Gina Rangi, Catherine Iorns Magallanes, Sacha McMeeking, Jacinta Ruru, Valmaine Toki, Amohia Boulton, Keakaokawai Varner Hemi, Caren Fox, Matiu Dickson, Justice Joseph Williams, Richard A Benton, Claire Charters, Mylene M D Rakena, Rhianna Morar, Eilís Donnelly, Layne Harvey, Joel Manyam, Michael Grayson, Mason Durie, Nin Tomás, Mylene MD Rakena, Sacha McMeeking, and Fleur Te Aho.
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The book is separated into six parts, starting with tikanga and matauranga Māori in a governance context, then considering treaty settlements, sectoral governance, theoretical and constitutional issues, legal opportunities and constraints, and the way forward. Chapters likely to garner significant interest among lay audiences include those on the tikanga governance of the Battle of Ōrākau 1864, Māori governance of freshwater, and the WAI 262 which is one of the most complex and far-reaching claims in the Tribunal's history. Several chapters also provide detailed insights on the tribal governance of Waikato-Tainui, Ngāi Tahu, Tūwharetoa, Tuhoe and Ngāpuhi.
Copies of the E-Book can be purchased online at Thomson Reuters New Zealand.
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AlterNative has become very busy in 2021 with over 136 submissions this year, in addition to the 2020 and 2019 submissions. The current issue, 17(2), included 22 contributions, our highest number to date.
Papers published in August:
Indigenous resilience and the COVID-19 response: a situation report on the Orang Asli in Peninsular Malaysia
Authors: Rusaslina Idrus, Zanisah Man, Anthony Williams-Hunt, Tijah Yok Chopil
Read Abstract
Indigenous knowledges of forest and biodiversity management: how the watchfulness of Māori complements and contributes to disaster risk reduction
Authors: Simon Lambert, Melanie Mark-Shadbolt
Read Abstract
The study of life and food systems for Native Hawaiians based on their environment
Authors: Mapuana CK Antonio, Kuaiwi Laka Makua, Samantha Keaulana, LeShay Keliiholokai, J Kahaulahilahi Vegas, H Ilima Ho-Lastimosa
Read Abstract
Urban mobility of Indigenous women: literature review and possible research routes
Authors: Paola Marcela Romero Gutiérrez, Adriana Inés Olivares González
Read Abstract
Decolonizing the digital landscape: the role of technology in Indigenous language revitalization
Author: Paul J Meighan
Read Abstract
Māori theology and syncretism
Byron William Rangiwai
Read Abstract
Deconstructing legitimized racism on Haida Gwaii
Michaela M McGuire
Read Abstract
Glocalised research design: exploring the encounter between Indigenous and Western methodologies among the Maasai Pastoralists in Monduli, Tanzania
Joseph Christopher Pesambili
Read Abstract
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Manaakitanga | Opportunities
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Doctoral Support for NPM Grant and Scholarship Recipients
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Every fortnight from 31 August until 14 December, NPM has a Zhui from 12 noon to 2pm with scholarship and grant recipients, and interns who are working with senior researchers. The Zhui, facilitated by Dr Teorongonui Josie Keelan are an opportunity for the participants to get to know one another, to hear from one of the NPM Research Leadership Team about their journey through tertiary study and or how they got into the field of research they are involved in and to hear presentations from each other, especially doctoral candidates.
The link for the Zhui is:
https://auckland.zoom.us/j/99268671100?pwd=SnBCS1NzWmQ0WHpSVHRHc1RlazhJQT09
"The Delta virus has not stopped the fortnightly NPM Tautoko Futures Zui. Those recipients of scholarship and grant funding who logged into the August support sessions spent the first half-hour talking in breakout rooms about how they were maintaining their wellness during the lockdown. Of special note was the coming together of Massey University doctoral candidates in an online space to support each other. Presentations covered Māori Kuku Economies; Identifying epigenetic predictor markers of cancer mestastasis using liquid biopsies; A semantic approach to describing the Māori language for pedagogical purposes. Many questions and suggestions came from those listening. It's on again in two weeks' time with a guest speaker and more presentations." - Dr Teorongonui Josie Keelan
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