Canada calling: Waikato University Law and Management students in Vancouver.
Twelve Waikato University students will be spending their semester break in Canada. The six management and six law students are all Māori postgraduate or senior undergraduate students who will be carrying out comparative research on management and law in New Zealand and Canada and the impact on the two countries’ indigenous cultures.
The students had to apply to go on the trip and have been attending weekly meetings to prepare. They’ll first go to Vancouver where they’ll present their research findings at an international conference on global ecological integrity as well as meet staff and students involved with indigenous cultures at the University of Columbia. Research topics include Sustainable Development: what it means to CFOs in NZ, Comparing Canadian and New Zealand Treaty settlements on natural resources and environmental co-management, the economic impact of the proposed Emissions Trading Scheme and Government support for indigenous culture.
After Vancouver, the students will travel to the University of Ottawa in Ontario to meet staff and students, visit the Aboriginal Healing Foundation and government departments.
They’ll be expected to collect data for their research, keep a journal of their trip, and have prepared Maori cultural items as part of their presentations and cultural exchange.
Management student Priscilla Ngatai is a member of Te Ranga Ngaku, Māori Student Network for management, and has organised the trip in collaboration with Te Whakahiapo, Māori Student Network for law.
“Our two countries share similar goals for our indigenous people, we also want to share our research on management, enterprise, law and policy, as well as our cultural knowledge,” says Priscilla.
“We see this haerenga to Canada as a start to our journey, which will encourage Māori students to research our indigenous culture and share our findings with our iwi and on an international platform.”
The two-week trip is being supported by the deans of Management and Law. Law School Dean Professor Brad Morse is Canadian and on the executive of the Association of Canadian Studies in Australia and New Zealand. He is keen to extend contacts and research between the two regions.