title: Te karanga tūturu o maieke:  Ngāti Kuri women’s taiao geographies

authors: Ringham, Sandra Lee

subjects: Māori and Indigenous geographies

abstract: This research examines the relationships, identities and sense of belonging of Māori women of within the Ngāti Kuri iwi (tribe) and te taiao (the natural world, environment, nature, country) in Te Hiku o te Ika, Far North, Aotearoa New Zealand. It shows how Ngāti Kuri women and te taiao are embedded in - yet also resist - colonial and patriarchal discourses. 
The Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine theoretical framework decolonises and transforms the ways in which Māori women have been represented and marginalised. Pūrākau (storywork) as a theory and methodology ensures Ngāti Kuri women’s stories are told by them and for them. Indigenous relational geography is woven into the theoretical framework to further understand Indigenous relationships to place and diverse feelings of belonging and responsibility.
Whakawhiti kōrero (research conversations), wānanga (workshops) and tipi haere (mobile wānanga) were carried out with 19 Ngāti Kuri women. Approximately 40 people from the iwi and / or scientific communities contribute to the thesis through the initiatives of the Ngāti Kuri Relationship Working Group (NKRWG), the Auckland War Memorial Museum and other research partners and as conservationists. 
Findings are organised around three themes: identities; relationships; and a sense of belonging. The first theme introduces Ngāti Kuri women’s identities as leaders and drivers of change, disrupting and dismantling the intersection of patriarchal and colonial discourse. The pūrākau of Maieke, a founding ancestress of Ngāti Kuri, brings to light the reclamation and transformation of Māori women’s identities and geographies, as defined by participants. Pre-colonisation Ngāti Kuri women had the capacity and authority to become a governing force in the daily lives of the iwi. The second theme highlights colonial and patriarchal naming of our world. Ngāti Kuri women are reconfiguring relationships and representation through the scientific naming of taonga (culturally valuable objects and species). Values and principles of kaitiakitanga (inherited guardianship) and whakawhanaugatanga (relating well to others) guide the naming process. The third theme focuses on participants’ reflections and understandings of the ways in which they sense place and feelings of belonging. Participants’ engagement with te taiao - through singing, storying and sensing place – highlights the way te taiao re-centres and transforms Ngāti Kuri women’s relationships and experiences of belonging to iwi homelands.
Importantly, the thesis concludes with a discussion of the challenges, successes and actions of Ngāti Kuri women as they continue to strive for tino rangatiratanga (self-determination), social and environmental well-being. I conceptualise new geographies that account for, and celebrate, uniquely Ngāti Kuri understandings of identities, relationships and feelings of belonging. Finally, a short creative story ends the thesis in order to show the transformative power of Ngāti Kuri women’s te taiao experiences.

text: Te karanga tūturu o maieke:  Ngāti Kuri women’s taiao geographies This research examines the relationships, identities and sense of belonging of Māori women of within the Ngāti Kuri iwi (tribe) and te taiao (the natural world, environment, nature, country) in Te Hiku o te Ika, Far North, Aotearoa New Zealand. It shows how Ngāti Kuri women and te taiao are embedded in - yet also resist - colonial and patriarchal discourses. 
The Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine theoretical framework decolonises and transforms the ways in which Māori women have been represented and marginalised. Pūrākau (storywork) as a theory and methodology ensures Ngāti Kuri women’s stories are told by them and for them. Indigenous relational geography is woven into the theoretical framework to further understand Indigenous relationships to place and diverse feelings of belonging and responsibility.
Whakawhiti kōrero (research conversations), wānanga (workshops) and tipi haere (mobile wānanga) were carried out with 19 Ngāti Kuri women. Approximately 40 people from the iwi and / or scientific communities contribute to the thesis through the initiatives of the Ngāti Kuri Relationship Working Group (NKRWG), the Auckland War Memorial Museum and other research partners and as conservationists. 
Findings are organised around three themes: identities; relationships; and a sense of belonging. The first theme introduces Ngāti Kuri women’s identities as leaders and drivers of change, disrupting and dismantling the intersection of patriarchal and colonial discourse. The pūrākau of Maieke, a founding ancestress of Ngāti Kuri, brings to light the reclamation and transformation of Māori women’s identities and geographies, as defined by participants. Pre-colonisation Ngāti Kuri women had the capacity and authority to become a governing force in the daily lives of the iwi. The second theme highlights colonial and patriarchal naming of our world. Ngāti Kuri women are reconfiguring relationships and representation through the scientific naming of taonga (culturally valuable objects and species). Values and principles of kaitiakitanga (inherited guardianship) and whakawhanaugatanga (relating well to others) guide the naming process. The third theme focuses on participants’ reflections and understandings of the ways in which they sense place and feelings of belonging. Participants’ engagement with te taiao - through singing, storying and sensing place – highlights the way te taiao re-centres and transforms Ngāti Kuri women’s relationships and experiences of belonging to iwi homelands.
Importantly, the thesis concludes with a discussion of the challenges, successes and actions of Ngāti Kuri women as they continue to strive for tino rangatiratanga (self-determination), social and environmental well-being. I conceptualise new geographies that account for, and celebrate, uniquely Ngāti Kuri understandings of identities, relationships and feelings of belonging. Finally, a short creative story ends the thesis in order to show the transformative power of Ngāti Kuri women’s te taiao experiences.

year: 2022

title: Walking into the past to explore the future: Utulizing larval densities to measure the effects of two climate change factors, temperature and salinity on Poorohe (common smelt, Retropinna retropinna) abundance in Te Puuaha o Waikato

authors: Robcke, Sidney

subjects: Common smelt

abstract: Poorohe (common smelt, Retropinna retropinna) are a highly valued kai species in Te Puuaha o Waikato (the lower 66 km of the Waikato River). Fisher whaanau have observed changes in the amount Poorohe that are harvested during annual fish harvests. Since Poorohe are particularly vulnerable to environmental changes, whaanau are particularly concerned about the how climate change might impact Poorohe populations. Climate change vulnerability assessments (CCVA) currently exist for several native New Zealand fish freshwater species; however, one does not yet exist for Poorohe. Previous larval distribution studies in the lower Waikato River only sampled as far downstream as Tuakau bridge (approximately 45km from the river mouth). These studies indicated that important spawning habitats likely existed downstream of Tuakau bridge. Temperature increases and saltwater intrusion have been identified as two climate change factors that will likely impact Poorohe in Te Puuaha o Waikato, because ambient temperatures have increased since the industrial revolution and the proximity of the study area to the ocean. A literature review was used to explore the experiences of fisher whaanau through the past, present and how the experiences will continue to change in a changing climate. The effects of temperature and saltwater intrusion on Poorohe populations were explored through replicating the methods of past research carried out in the 1980s and 2010s. Current river temperatures are in the optimal temperature range (12°C - 18°C) for Poorohe spawning. The saltwater wedge was suppressed by the high river flow during the eight-week sampling period, and it is unclear whether saltwater intrusion has an impact on Poorohe spawning. Larval densities did not significantly increase down river, which suggests large spawning habitat is not found downstream of Tuakau bridge. Furthermore, there were no decreases in larval densities in the two saltwater sites. This study has contributed to the available literature necessary to develop a CCVA for Poorohe and explored the cultural heritage of traditionally significant practices in Te Puuaha o Waikato relating to Poorohe.

text: Walking into the past to explore the future: Utulizing larval densities to measure the effects of two climate change factors, temperature and salinity on Poorohe (common smelt, Retropinna retropinna) abundance in Te Puuaha o Waikato Poorohe (common smelt, Retropinna retropinna) are a highly valued kai species in Te Puuaha o Waikato (the lower 66 km of the Waikato River). Fisher whaanau have observed changes in the amount Poorohe that are harvested during annual fish harvests. Since Poorohe are particularly vulnerable to environmental changes, whaanau are particularly concerned about the how climate change might impact Poorohe populations. Climate change vulnerability assessments (CCVA) currently exist for several native New Zealand fish freshwater species; however, one does not yet exist for Poorohe. Previous larval distribution studies in the lower Waikato River only sampled as far downstream as Tuakau bridge (approximately 45km from the river mouth). These studies indicated that important spawning habitats likely existed downstream of Tuakau bridge. Temperature increases and saltwater intrusion have been identified as two climate change factors that will likely impact Poorohe in Te Puuaha o Waikato, because ambient temperatures have increased since the industrial revolution and the proximity of the study area to the ocean. A literature review was used to explore the experiences of fisher whaanau through the past, present and how the experiences will continue to change in a changing climate. The effects of temperature and saltwater intrusion on Poorohe populations were explored through replicating the methods of past research carried out in the 1980s and 2010s. Current river temperatures are in the optimal temperature range (12°C - 18°C) for Poorohe spawning. The saltwater wedge was suppressed by the high river flow during the eight-week sampling period, and it is unclear whether saltwater intrusion has an impact on Poorohe spawning. Larval densities did not significantly increase down river, which suggests large spawning habitat is not found downstream of Tuakau bridge. Furthermore, there were no decreases in larval densities in the two saltwater sites. This study has contributed to the available literature necessary to develop a CCVA for Poorohe and explored the cultural heritage of traditionally significant practices in Te Puuaha o Waikato relating to Poorohe.

year: 2024-11-23

title: Current research involving LGBTQ people in Malaysia: A scoping review informed by a health equity lens

authors: Tan, Kyle K. H.

abstract: In Malaysia, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people (collectively known as LGBTQ) are subjected to cisheterosexism that criminalizes, pathologizes, and marginalizes their identities. Given the relative cisheterosexist nature of Malaysian society, it is important to scrutinize the current trend of research studies that have recruited LGBTQ people as subjects. The present study comprises a scoping review of existing Malaysian studies involving LGBTQ people, as we set out to provide an overview of study characteristics, research methods, and literature gaps. Through systematic searches in the Malaysian Citation Index, PsycINFO, and PubMed databases, as well as additional hand searches, we included forty-four studies in this review. Our review noted many Malaysian LGBTQ studies explicitly focused on related topics of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (41%), men who have sex with men (39%), trans women (30%), and people from Kuala Lumpur (25%). Our review also uncovered STI risks, living experiences in relation to cisheterosexism, and barriers to access safe-sex measures, healthcare, and social support among Malaysian LGBTQ people. Drawing from the health equity framework, we provided recommendations for future LGBTQ research in Malaysia to avoid utilizing a pathological lens that stands in contrast with LGBTQ-affirming approaches, as well as to engage LGBTQ members throughout all research phases.

text: Current research involving LGBTQ people in Malaysia: A scoping review informed by a health equity lens In Malaysia, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people (collectively known as LGBTQ) are subjected to cisheterosexism that criminalizes, pathologizes, and marginalizes their identities. Given the relative cisheterosexist nature of Malaysian society, it is important to scrutinize the current trend of research studies that have recruited LGBTQ people as subjects. The present study comprises a scoping review of existing Malaysian studies involving LGBTQ people, as we set out to provide an overview of study characteristics, research methods, and literature gaps. Through systematic searches in the Malaysian Citation Index, PsycINFO, and PubMed databases, as well as additional hand searches, we included forty-four studies in this review. Our review noted many Malaysian LGBTQ studies explicitly focused on related topics of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (41%), men who have sex with men (39%), trans women (30%), and people from Kuala Lumpur (25%). Our review also uncovered STI risks, living experiences in relation to cisheterosexism, and barriers to access safe-sex measures, healthcare, and social support among Malaysian LGBTQ people. Drawing from the health equity framework, we provided recommendations for future LGBTQ research in Malaysia to avoid utilizing a pathological lens that stands in contrast with LGBTQ-affirming approaches, as well as to engage LGBTQ members throughout all research phases.

year: 2021