'Read Our Words' Poster

NPM Co-Director Professor Jacinta Ruru, Associate Professor Angela Wanhalla and Jeanette Wikaira have released the Read our Words poster, profiling ten easily accessible Māori authored non-fiction books. 

The poster encourages the public to engage with the voices and experiences of Māori to help create an anti-racist Aotearoa New Zealand.

“One way for New Zealanders to help create an anti-racist nation is to ‘read our words’ and engage in the depth and diversity of Mātauranga Māori. Māori writers have been resisting and challenging racism since Pākehā and the written word first arrived in Aotearoa. This poster reminds Aotearoa of this, and we hope it will be printed and posted in corridors throughout the country in schools, community halls, marae and public libraries,” Professor Ruru says.

The poster is the latest undertaking from the Te Takarangi team who initially produced a curated list of 150 Māori Non-Fiction books from 1815 to 2017.  

“The poster has been something we have wanted to do since the inception of our Te Takarangi project, and our vision is to see the posters pinned up in every school and library in the nation, promoting Māori scholarship, Mātauranga Māori and combating racism”, Wikaira says.

Download the Poster here

Tukua te rangahau kia kōrero - Te Reo Symposium Brings Experts Together

In acknowledging the diverse Māori language activity and research, NPM and Te Mātāwai partnered to co-host an important te reo Māori symposium at the Otago Museum, Dunedin, on the 8th and 9th of October.
 

An Important Appointment at Royal Society Te Apārangi

Recent NPM Board Member, University of Auckland Pro-Vice Chancellor (Māori) and former Children's Commissioner Professor Cynthia Kiro has been appointed Ahorangi - Chief Executive of the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

Cindy Kiro (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Hine) is a long time NPM researcher and supporter, contributing at various levels to NPM over the years. Her recent focus at the University of Auckland has been on developing a positive Māori profile and a Te Reo Māori Strategy within and for the university as well as helping develop Māori programmes in liaison with the Vice-Chancellor, Māori staff, students and the community.

Commenting on her appointment Professor Kiro said that now is "the time for staged, considered advice about science, research, mātauranga and rangahau" and that she is "excited to see how that knowledge can be used to better inform what we do and to inform the public.”

NPM's congratulations go to Professor Kiro in her new role. We are all very excited to see what she will bring to the organisation as the latest in a long line of influential Royal Society Te Apārangi leaders.

Also of note is the appointment last week of two long time contributors to NPM as Ngā Takahoa a Te Apārangi Companions of Royal Society Te Apārangi. NPM Tohunga and Researcher Dr Tā Tīmoti Kāretu was recognised by the Society for his supreme efforts in revitalising te reo Māori. At the same time an early leader of NPM, Rauru Kirikiri was recognised by Te Apārangi for his groundbreaking work in embedding mātauranga Māori into science across Crown Research Institutes and universities, and for bringing te ao Māori perspectives into tertiary education and beyond. Read more here.

Te Tapeke - Fair Futures

Royal Society Te Apārangi recently convened a multidisciplinary panel  of leading experts to examine issues of equality, equity, and fairness in Aotearoa. The panel’s name, Te Tapeke, comes from the saying ‘ka tapeke katoa te iwi’ and conveys valuing and including all people.

NPM Principal Investigator and University of Auckland academic Associate Professor Andrew Erueti is the Co-Chair of the Te Tapeke Fair Futures Panel and has recently published his own short paper, which emerged out of the Inquiry into Abuse in Care which is investigating child abuse from the 1950s in both state and faith-based institutions, including foster care, and psychiatric and disability residences.

Andrew was asked to think about fairness in a Māori context and expresses that tikanga Māori has an important role to play in the journey towards fairness, equality, and equity – and determining what types of solutions might lead to positive change for all New Zealanders.

Read the paper here

Media Skills for Māori Researchers - 3 & 4 December

Adapt your messages for impact! Reach new audiences! Talk to the media with greater confidence!

In seven weeks time NPM, together with the Science Media Centre, will once again bring to its network this always popular media and communications workshop for Māori researchers.

Established and emerging Māori researchers from NPM's partner network should submit their applications now! There are just a few spaces left.

All workshop fees have been waived, and limited travel and accommodation funding support may be available.

When: 3-4 December, 2020
Where: Waipapa Marae, University of Auckland

Apply here now! Applications close 19 October!