Ngā Tauira PaeruaPostgraduate Students
PhD student
Qualifications: Dip (MPD), BA (Hons), MA
Iwi: Ngāti Pikiao (Te Arawa), Ngati Kahu
Supervisors: Dr Hēmi Whaanga, Dr Rangi Matamua
Thesis Title: Te kawa whakauru ora: Collective participation of Ngati Hinekura in indigenous wellbeing research
Research Interests
Iwi wellbeing. Geneology, physical activities and the influences on whānau wellbeing.
About
In 2011, I started total immersion classes at He Kāinga Mō Te Reo in Rotorua, I made the move to continue full-time study in Te Tohu Paetahi, immersion language and teaching programme, graduating with a BA (Hons) majoring in Tikanga.
I had the opportunity to work with Snr Research Officer Dr Hēmi Whaanga, to describe Māori methods of naming native and introduced species of birds. I don't have a science background, so the study broadened my horizons … a sort of taxonomy in terms of Mātauranga Māori, linking bird names to regions and ecologies.
It's been a roundabout trip to doctoral study and I'm grateful for the Te Kotahi Research Institute Scholarship to help fund my study. It's going to be a personal and meaningful study that reaches a wider audience. I'll be getting to the heart of my own whānau.