The Construction of the Indigenous Incarcerated Body: Māori and the School to Prison Pipeline
This project focuses on the construction of the School to Prison Pipeline for Māori. Statistics highlight that within Aotearoa there is an over-representation of Māori with the prison population. Research related to the Justice system indicates that disparities exist in the relation to Māori, including higher arrest rates, greater likelihood of conviction and longer sentencing imposed.
It has been argued that these discrepancies are a consequence of wider societal inequities, including the educational underachievement of Māori, which creates a context of material poverty and cultural disconnection that contribute to Māori being more likely to engage in activities that lead to incarceration. Key outcomes for this project are high quality interdisciplinary research publications between Canada, Australia and Aotearoa, and building upon enduring strategic partnerships with leading research organisations.
Research Team
Professor Leonie Pihama
Professor Leonie Pihama is a mother of six and a grandmother of five. Leonie is a Professor with UNITEC and the former Director of Te Kotahi Research Institute at the University of Waikato. She has worked as a senior lecturer in Education at the University of Auckland teaching in the fields of policy analysis, Māori women’s issues, and the politics of representation of indigenous peoples. She has served on Māori Television’s establishment board and worked in film and media production, and in late 2013, she was appointed as a Director on the Te Māngai Paho Board. She has completed a Fulbright Scholarship with the University of Washington, and has extensive expertise connecting her to a wide-range of communities and iwi, which enables her to relate to people throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
Leonie is currently the Principal Investigator on three Health Research Council projects, ‘He Oranga Ngākau: Māori Approaches to Trauma Informed Care’, ‘Honour Project Aotearoa’, and ‘He Ngākau Māori: Investigating Māori Cultural Constructions of Emotions’.
... lessProfessor Leonie Pihama is a mother of six and a grandmother of five. Leonie is a Professor with ... more
Professor Brendan Hokowhitu (Ngāti Pūkenga) is the dean of Māori and Indigenous Studies at the University of Waikato. Before returning to Aotearoa in 2016 he was the dean of the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, Canada. He has a PhD from the University of Otago.
... lessProfessor Brendan Hokowhitu (Ngāti Pūkenga) is the dean of Māori and Indigenous Studies at the University of Waikato. Before returning ... more
Armon Tamatea is a clinical psychologist who served as a clinician and senior research advisor for the Department of Corrections (New Zealand) before being appointed senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Waikato. He has worked extensively in the assessment and treatment of violent and sexual offenders, and contributed to the design and implementation of an experimental prison-based violence prevention programme for high-risk offenders diagnosed with psychopathy. Armon is principally involved in the post-graduate diploma of clinical psychology programme in the School of Psychology. His research interests include psychopathy, New Zealand gang communities, and exploring culturally-informed approaches to offender management. He is also New Zealand editor for Sexual Abuse in Australia and New Zealand: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Armon currently divides his professional time between teaching, research, supervision, and clinical practice in the criminal justice arena.
... lessArmon Tamatea is a clinical psychologist who served as a clinician and senior research advisor for the Department of Corrections ... more