November 13, 2014
Ambitious research line up for Nga Pae
Nga Pae o te Maramatanga has submitted its pre-proposal for continued funding from the Tertiary Education Commission to be the Maori centre of research excellence or CORE.
The centre missed out on CORE funding in the latest five-year round, but the uproar from Maori academics and iwi led to extra funds being put into this year’s budget.
Nga Pae will be hoping that the appointment of former Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples as its patron will help the bid.
As an indication of its proposed new and energised research programme, it has announced four new research projects around optimizing Maori economic performance.
A team led by Dr Diane Ruwhiu from the University of Otago will study critical success factors for Maori small to medium sized enterprises in the south, which may help to identify the best time for any interventions.
Andrew Erueti from the University of Waikato will investigate international best practice, co-ownership and co-management models to assess how Maori communities can most effectively engage with the extractive industry.
He says iwi and hapu have been side-lined as national and international corporations mine their rohe, and a reliance on environmental or treaty law has had limited results.
Dr Shaun Awatere from Manaaki Whenua will test ways Maori land trusts and incorporations can integrate core Maori values into their decision making processes.
And Waikato University’s Dr Robert Joseph will study land trusts in the Waiariki region to find if anything can be learned about new ways to collaborate and enhance economic performance.
Copyright © 2014, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com