title: How institutions frame mātauranga Māori (Commissioned by Waikato Regional Council)

authors: Whaanga, Hēmi

abstract: The primary questions for this report are:
1) How is Mātauranga Māori framed by Institutions?
2) How is Mātauranga Māori being operationalised by Institutions in New Zealand?
Mātauranga Māori is the intellectual capital generated by whānau, hapū and Iwi over multiple generations. It is a shared-community knowledge that is embedded in lived experience and carried in stories, song, place names, dance, ceremonies, genealogies, memories, visions, prophesies, teachings and original instructions, as and learnt through observation and copying of other community members.
It is a holistic system of orally passed knowledge, concepts, beliefs and practice. Mātauranga Māori, mātauranga ā-iwi, mātauranga ā-hapū, and mātauranga ā-whānau are dynamic, innovative, and generative systems of knowledge. Mātauranga Māori has been defined, framed, and operationalised with varying success by Institutions. Although the overall definitions vary somewhat, the general premise is that these government agencies acknowledge that mātauranga Māori is Māori-specific knowledge that is adaptive and regionally distinct. This recognition is important as it reinforces the notion that Māori are not a homogenous group, and that mātauranga Māori will differ across Iwi.
For the vast majority of institutions, improving their understanding of mātauranga Māori is an important strategic aim that can help guide their decision making, management, and monitoring procedures. Achieving this aim helps recognise the innovative potential of Māori knowledge, its contribution to council activities, and the usefulness of culturally appropriate data.
This report has identified seven factors that contribute towards a framework of understanding:
1) Acknowledging contemporary relevance and application: Iwi partners value mātauranga
Māori not only for its historic significance but its contemporary relevance in times of political change. Legislative requirements, iwi expectations, and a desire to build respectful relationships also contribute to current moves to understand and incorporate mātauranga Māori across regional council planning and decision-making activities.
2) Acknowledging cultural validity: Mātauranga Māori informs not only traditional practices but also Māori and iwi participation within Council activities.
3) Accepting epistemological difference: Eurocentric values and scientific disciplines tend to have primacy in a regional council context in part through historical tendencies and political representation. Mātauranga Māori brings a different value set and way of understanding phenomena to the table.
4) Acknowledging mana whenua responsibility for mātauranga Māori: The management and use of mātauranga represents a core responsibility of mana whenua. Relocating mātauranga and responsibility to act as a kaitiaki from a whānau, hapū or iwi to an institution, is a sensitive topic. Mātauranga is often vested with specific people (kaitiaki) or with local whānau and hapū to ensure the responsibilities for protecting the environment remain with those that live there.
5) Developing a more nuanced understanding of mātauranga Māori: Developing a more nuanced understanding of the different disciplines and content that exist under the broad definition of mātauranga Māori is necessary if Councils are to incorporate mātauranga Māori across a greater range of their work programmes.

text: How institutions frame mātauranga Māori (Commissioned by Waikato Regional Council) The primary questions for this report are:
1) How is Mātauranga Māori framed by Institutions?
2) How is Mātauranga Māori being operationalised by Institutions in New Zealand?
Mātauranga Māori is the intellectual capital generated by whānau, hapū and Iwi over multiple generations. It is a shared-community knowledge that is embedded in lived experience and carried in stories, song, place names, dance, ceremonies, genealogies, memories, visions, prophesies, teachings and original instructions, as and learnt through observation and copying of other community members.
It is a holistic system of orally passed knowledge, concepts, beliefs and practice. Mātauranga Māori, mātauranga ā-iwi, mātauranga ā-hapū, and mātauranga ā-whānau are dynamic, innovative, and generative systems of knowledge. Mātauranga Māori has been defined, framed, and operationalised with varying success by Institutions. Although the overall definitions vary somewhat, the general premise is that these government agencies acknowledge that mātauranga Māori is Māori-specific knowledge that is adaptive and regionally distinct. This recognition is important as it reinforces the notion that Māori are not a homogenous group, and that mātauranga Māori will differ across Iwi.
For the vast majority of institutions, improving their understanding of mātauranga Māori is an important strategic aim that can help guide their decision making, management, and monitoring procedures. Achieving this aim helps recognise the innovative potential of Māori knowledge, its contribution to council activities, and the usefulness of culturally appropriate data.
This report has identified seven factors that contribute towards a framework of understanding:
1) Acknowledging contemporary relevance and application: Iwi partners value mātauranga
Māori not only for its historic significance but its contemporary relevance in times of political change. Legislative requirements, iwi expectations, and a desire to build respectful relationships also contribute to current moves to understand and incorporate mātauranga Māori across regional council planning and decision-making activities.
2) Acknowledging cultural validity: Mātauranga Māori informs not only traditional practices but also Māori and iwi participation within Council activities.
3) Accepting epistemological difference: Eurocentric values and scientific disciplines tend to have primacy in a regional council context in part through historical tendencies and political representation. Mātauranga Māori brings a different value set and way of understanding phenomena to the table.
4) Acknowledging mana whenua responsibility for mātauranga Māori: The management and use of mātauranga represents a core responsibility of mana whenua. Relocating mātauranga and responsibility to act as a kaitiaki from a whānau, hapū or iwi to an institution, is a sensitive topic. Mātauranga is often vested with specific people (kaitiaki) or with local whānau and hapū to ensure the responsibilities for protecting the environment remain with those that live there.
5) Developing a more nuanced understanding of mātauranga Māori: Developing a more nuanced understanding of the different disciplines and content that exist under the broad definition of mātauranga Māori is necessary if Councils are to incorporate mātauranga Māori across a greater range of their work programmes.

year: 2017

title: Looking at relationships between propositions in Maori language

authors: Houia, Waldo

subjects: Te reo Māori

abstract: This paper reports on an investigation into the various ways in which relationships of meaning, such as reason-result and temporal overlap, are encoded as clauses, sentences and groups of sentences in Māori. It also provides an indication of the relevance of this type of research to teachers and learners of Māori.

text: Looking at relationships between propositions in Maori language This paper reports on an investigation into the various ways in which relationships of meaning, such as reason-result and temporal overlap, are encoded as clauses, sentences and groups of sentences in Māori. It also provides an indication of the relevance of this type of research to teachers and learners of Māori.

year: 2001

title: Restoring giant kokopu (Galaxias argenteus) populations in Hamilton's urban streams

authors: Aldridge, Brenda Michelle Te Aroha

subjects: Giant kokopu

abstract: In this study, options for restoring fish populations in Hamilton City (37.47'S, 175.19'E) were explored.  Habitat and fish populations in Hamilton urban streams were manipulated using a two-fold experimental design.  Firstly, habitat was enhanced in ten urban streams with three continuous treatments in a 60-m reach at each site (20 m with 10 ponga logs, 20 m with 20 hollow clay pipes, and 20 m with no added structure).  Secondly, juvenile farm-reared giant kokopu (Galaxias argenteus), were stocked into five of the enhanced stream sections.  Giant kokopu are threatened and occur naturally in Hamilton urban streams in sparse populations.  The abundance of wild fish was monitored before and after enhancement and fish release from November 2006 to November 2007.  Stocked fish were monitored for eight months, from April to November 2007.  Over this time electric fishing was conducted three times, trap nets (Gee minnow and fyke nets) were set monthly and spotlighting was conducted monthly at three release sites where water clarity allowed. 

Anticipated outcomes of this research were; to determine whether giant kokopu abundance in Hamilton urban streams is limited by recruitment or by habitat, and to assist with the development of methods to restore fish populations in Hamilton City urban streams.  

Logs used as enhancement structures in Hamilton urban streams provided more stable habitat for fish and created more suitable microhabitat than pipe structures.  Pipes moved considerably during high flows, and their instability made them less effective at providing habitat.  Within the study sites there appeared to be complex interactions with turbidity, stream width and depth, which complicated the effect of the habitat structures.  The limited replication and variability among sites contributed to statistically insignificant results using analysis of variance. 


Retention and recapture rates of stocked juvenile giant kokopu were greatest at Site M11, where the stream was narrow, shallow, clear and had lower numbers and biomass of shortfin eels, compared to other survey sites.  Marked and released giant kokopu were retained in the release reaches at four of the five sites, for a minimum of four months, and exhibited substantial growth.  Daily growth of juvenile giant kokopu ranged from 0.19 to 0.33 mm day-1 and from 0.03 to 0.11 g day-1, exhibiting substantial growth over winter.  Giant kokopu appeared to have a slight bias to the log section of enhanced habitat, but habitat selection appeared to be overwhelmingly controlled by initial habitat selection.  

The stocking of farm-reared fish into urban streams was largely successful, but the success of the habitat enhancement was variable and further work is required to determine better techniques for habitat enhancement in these urban environments.  It is concluded that releasing farm-reared giant kokopu can be used to restore populations especially where recruitment limitations control fish abundance and diversity.

text: Restoring giant kokopu (Galaxias argenteus) populations in Hamilton's urban streams In this study, options for restoring fish populations in Hamilton City (37.47'S, 175.19'E) were explored.  Habitat and fish populations in Hamilton urban streams were manipulated using a two-fold experimental design.  Firstly, habitat was enhanced in ten urban streams with three continuous treatments in a 60-m reach at each site (20 m with 10 ponga logs, 20 m with 20 hollow clay pipes, and 20 m with no added structure).  Secondly, juvenile farm-reared giant kokopu (Galaxias argenteus), were stocked into five of the enhanced stream sections.  Giant kokopu are threatened and occur naturally in Hamilton urban streams in sparse populations.  The abundance of wild fish was monitored before and after enhancement and fish release from November 2006 to November 2007.  Stocked fish were monitored for eight months, from April to November 2007.  Over this time electric fishing was conducted three times, trap nets (Gee minnow and fyke nets) were set monthly and spotlighting was conducted monthly at three release sites where water clarity allowed. 

Anticipated outcomes of this research were; to determine whether giant kokopu abundance in Hamilton urban streams is limited by recruitment or by habitat, and to assist with the development of methods to restore fish populations in Hamilton City urban streams.  

Logs used as enhancement structures in Hamilton urban streams provided more stable habitat for fish and created more suitable microhabitat than pipe structures.  Pipes moved considerably during high flows, and their instability made them less effective at providing habitat.  Within the study sites there appeared to be complex interactions with turbidity, stream width and depth, which complicated the effect of the habitat structures.  The limited replication and variability among sites contributed to statistically insignificant results using analysis of variance. 


Retention and recapture rates of stocked juvenile giant kokopu were greatest at Site M11, where the stream was narrow, shallow, clear and had lower numbers and biomass of shortfin eels, compared to other survey sites.  Marked and released giant kokopu were retained in the release reaches at four of the five sites, for a minimum of four months, and exhibited substantial growth.  Daily growth of juvenile giant kokopu ranged from 0.19 to 0.33 mm day-1 and from 0.03 to 0.11 g day-1, exhibiting substantial growth over winter.  Giant kokopu appeared to have a slight bias to the log section of enhanced habitat, but habitat selection appeared to be overwhelmingly controlled by initial habitat selection.  

The stocking of farm-reared fish into urban streams was largely successful, but the success of the habitat enhancement was variable and further work is required to determine better techniques for habitat enhancement in these urban environments.  It is concluded that releasing farm-reared giant kokopu can be used to restore populations especially where recruitment limitations control fish abundance and diversity.

year: 2008