September 08, 2021
Te Ao Maori view sought in research pūtea
Landcare Research Manaaki Whenua has won almost $16 million in Endeavour research funding to explore how whakapapa frameworks can be used to find biocultural ways to restore ecological systems.
Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods says Te Weu o te Kaitiaki – Indigenous regeneration pathways project is an example of integrating a te ao Māori worldview into crown research.
This year more than $244 million from the contestable fund was earmarked for 69 scientific research projects.
Many will address issues of climate change, sea-level rise and changing food production.
In the Smart Ideas section for projects needing about $1 million in funding, the Institute for Plant and Food Research won grants for projects including applying technology to rongoā Māori, traditional Māori medicines, and identifying which genes could be uses as a marker of the value of manuka honey.
Taranaki Māori community organisation, Te Pou Tiringa, a long time partner with the University of Otago’s National Centre for Lifecourse Research, was funded for its Whakapakari whānau project looking at how the potential of Māori from early childhood and over generations can be realised.