title: Indigenising the Screen, Navigating the Currents of Change, a Vision of Fourth Cinema

authors: Bristowe, Joseph Curtis

subjects: Māori Knowledge

abstract: This thesis tests the hypothesis that it is possible to both decolonise and Indigenise the New Zealand cinema screen. Secondary research explores how those discourses that promoted roles and expectations for Māori within the New Zealand film industry were based principally upon historical colonial ideologies imposed by various means upon the native populous, and subsequently reproduced. It has been argued that these discourses of race, gender and religion have predominantly perpetuated negative belief systems about Māori, have contributed to the reproduction of stereotypical images of Māori, and that alternative structures of belief will be necessary in the field of cultural production. 
This thesis stems from this essential argument, and is fuelled by the researcher’s own desire to demystify, decolonise and Indigenise the New Zealand screen through the development of a Kaupapa Māori based strategic framework to inform/guide Māori scriptwriting/filmmaking practice. Drawing upon academic research, intimate cultural knowledge and the practice of creative writing, this thesis will explore the case that when thought and action are focused effectively through an applicable and practical Indigenous framework, an expression of collective identity based on individual qualities will deliver a better approach to Māori scriptwriting/filmmaking practice. This case will be developed and examined.

The case also depends on arguing that supposedly progressive representations of Māori in mainstream New Zealand films since the mid-1980s are not an incremental advance towards Fourth Cinema, because Māori subjectivity in film had still not been reconnected with a self-efficacy belief system based upon Indigenous foundations. The alternative approach effectively materialises strong anti-colonial perspectives aimed specifically at subverting long-held and dominant colonial discourses. Such an approach rejects the tradition of being defined, constructed and represented through discourses that serve to promote the interests of a majority and, in doing so, offers a collective vision for Fourth Cinema or Indigenous Cinema as advocated by the late Barry Barclay who campaigned for an Indigenous filmatic base grounded firmly in the philosophies, concepts and practices of the people. A tantalising larger question is whether specific strategic frameworks (e.g. in differing national contexts) tap into a common base of ‘Fourth Cinema’ values and philosophy, a base that then deeply affects all aspects of practice, from idea generation to narrative structures or the handling of time.

This thesis shall therefore be largely focused upon attempting to define and determine the foundations of an Indigenous knowledge system, and then upon how such definitions can revitalise those foundations for effective application in a contemporary context. Such an approach is founded upon the belief that what we are lacking in the Māori world is not the quantity of Māori knowledge; there is a veritable plethora of Māori knowledge still available. My research will seek to demonstrate that what is lacking is sufficient qualitatively powerful contemporary thought that yields ‘reflections’ contained in that knowledge, i.e., appropriate insight into their contemporary application.  This view is supported by the words of noted Māori Scholar Charles Royal (2002):

A key aspiration of all indigenous people is cultural survival. This means the perpetuation of our knowledge, our traditions, our worldviews, our philosophies. What this requires, however, is not so much the simple use of traditional knowledge but research into its principles, its fundamental view on reality and the creative application of those views in the contemporary context. Otherwise indigenous knowledge will remain merely historical phenomena, a museum curio bearing little relevance to the contemporary experience of indigenous peoples. (p. 11-12)

Importantly, I will examine the proposition that the more we discover, examine and utilise Māori knowledge, the more we will grow to understand new ways to create, design and fashion contemporary applications of this knowledge. Therefore, what is required and what should be of impetus to present day Māori scholars is a new spirit of enquiry, into the evolution of Indigenous knowledge systems and more specifically in this context, their role in relation to filmmaking processes. Such a belief is supported by the words of noted Ngāti Porou tohunga (expert in traditional lore) New Amsterdam Reedy (2011) who in relation to the application of Māori knowledge systems stated emphatically, ‘It’s not about how far back we can go, it’s about how far we can take it into the future.’ 

Such an approach is where I will argue the true revolutionary and emancipating thinking lies. Therefore, and of equally important significance, this thesis through the discussion of Māori knowledge and its contemporary application also engages debates surrounding the further development of Kaupapa Māori theory and more specifically, locates this within a filmmaking framework. In this way, Kaupapa Māori theory, as much as it is employed in this study is also subject to a self-reflective analysis and critique, therein providing an original contribution to the current literature in Kaupapa Māori theory and filmmaking and consequently developing a more comprehensive understanding of both fields of study.
For I will contend that Fourth Cinema is an effective way to understand the other, engage in new and integrated ways of thinking and living, and recognise how different bodies of knowledge, traditional or modern, Indigenous and Western may coexist for common purpose and mutual benefit. For this is the integrated and inclusive space where the complexity of the relationship between the colonial and post-colonial truly exists, one which brings together essential and non-essentialist post-colonial theoretical paradigms as well as Indigenous knowledge and contemporary Western knowledge systems thereby bridging worlds that, at first, seem to be strangers to one another, but may be more connected than they are different.

text: Indigenising the Screen, Navigating the Currents of Change, a Vision of Fourth Cinema This thesis tests the hypothesis that it is possible to both decolonise and Indigenise the New Zealand cinema screen. Secondary research explores how those discourses that promoted roles and expectations for Māori within the New Zealand film industry were based principally upon historical colonial ideologies imposed by various means upon the native populous, and subsequently reproduced. It has been argued that these discourses of race, gender and religion have predominantly perpetuated negative belief systems about Māori, have contributed to the reproduction of stereotypical images of Māori, and that alternative structures of belief will be necessary in the field of cultural production. 
This thesis stems from this essential argument, and is fuelled by the researcher’s own desire to demystify, decolonise and Indigenise the New Zealand screen through the development of a Kaupapa Māori based strategic framework to inform/guide Māori scriptwriting/filmmaking practice. Drawing upon academic research, intimate cultural knowledge and the practice of creative writing, this thesis will explore the case that when thought and action are focused effectively through an applicable and practical Indigenous framework, an expression of collective identity based on individual qualities will deliver a better approach to Māori scriptwriting/filmmaking practice. This case will be developed and examined.

The case also depends on arguing that supposedly progressive representations of Māori in mainstream New Zealand films since the mid-1980s are not an incremental advance towards Fourth Cinema, because Māori subjectivity in film had still not been reconnected with a self-efficacy belief system based upon Indigenous foundations. The alternative approach effectively materialises strong anti-colonial perspectives aimed specifically at subverting long-held and dominant colonial discourses. Such an approach rejects the tradition of being defined, constructed and represented through discourses that serve to promote the interests of a majority and, in doing so, offers a collective vision for Fourth Cinema or Indigenous Cinema as advocated by the late Barry Barclay who campaigned for an Indigenous filmatic base grounded firmly in the philosophies, concepts and practices of the people. A tantalising larger question is whether specific strategic frameworks (e.g. in differing national contexts) tap into a common base of ‘Fourth Cinema’ values and philosophy, a base that then deeply affects all aspects of practice, from idea generation to narrative structures or the handling of time.

This thesis shall therefore be largely focused upon attempting to define and determine the foundations of an Indigenous knowledge system, and then upon how such definitions can revitalise those foundations for effective application in a contemporary context. Such an approach is founded upon the belief that what we are lacking in the Māori world is not the quantity of Māori knowledge; there is a veritable plethora of Māori knowledge still available. My research will seek to demonstrate that what is lacking is sufficient qualitatively powerful contemporary thought that yields ‘reflections’ contained in that knowledge, i.e., appropriate insight into their contemporary application.  This view is supported by the words of noted Māori Scholar Charles Royal (2002):

A key aspiration of all indigenous people is cultural survival. This means the perpetuation of our knowledge, our traditions, our worldviews, our philosophies. What this requires, however, is not so much the simple use of traditional knowledge but research into its principles, its fundamental view on reality and the creative application of those views in the contemporary context. Otherwise indigenous knowledge will remain merely historical phenomena, a museum curio bearing little relevance to the contemporary experience of indigenous peoples. (p. 11-12)

Importantly, I will examine the proposition that the more we discover, examine and utilise Māori knowledge, the more we will grow to understand new ways to create, design and fashion contemporary applications of this knowledge. Therefore, what is required and what should be of impetus to present day Māori scholars is a new spirit of enquiry, into the evolution of Indigenous knowledge systems and more specifically in this context, their role in relation to filmmaking processes. Such a belief is supported by the words of noted Ngāti Porou tohunga (expert in traditional lore) New Amsterdam Reedy (2011) who in relation to the application of Māori knowledge systems stated emphatically, ‘It’s not about how far back we can go, it’s about how far we can take it into the future.’ 

Such an approach is where I will argue the true revolutionary and emancipating thinking lies. Therefore, and of equally important significance, this thesis through the discussion of Māori knowledge and its contemporary application also engages debates surrounding the further development of Kaupapa Māori theory and more specifically, locates this within a filmmaking framework. In this way, Kaupapa Māori theory, as much as it is employed in this study is also subject to a self-reflective analysis and critique, therein providing an original contribution to the current literature in Kaupapa Māori theory and filmmaking and consequently developing a more comprehensive understanding of both fields of study.
For I will contend that Fourth Cinema is an effective way to understand the other, engage in new and integrated ways of thinking and living, and recognise how different bodies of knowledge, traditional or modern, Indigenous and Western may coexist for common purpose and mutual benefit. For this is the integrated and inclusive space where the complexity of the relationship between the colonial and post-colonial truly exists, one which brings together essential and non-essentialist post-colonial theoretical paradigms as well as Indigenous knowledge and contemporary Western knowledge systems thereby bridging worlds that, at first, seem to be strangers to one another, but may be more connected than they are different.

year: 2017

title: The issues of the criminal justice system and of resources in Aotearoa/New Zealand

authors: Toki, Valmaine

abstract: Within the seven regions, recognized by the United Nations, various jurisdictions have acknowledged Indigenous rights within their respective constitutions. Although not explicit, some constitutional provisions, such as those included in the Norwegian Constitution, when read together with other articles, provide tentative opportunities for the implementation of an Indigenous legal system and an Indigenous court. Some Constitutions, such as that of Ecuador, are more explicit in providing constitutional recognition of an Indigenous legal system as well as rights to nature and, the interim Constitution of Nepal, courts for Indigenous Peoples.

text: The issues of the criminal justice system and of resources in Aotearoa/New Zealand Within the seven regions, recognized by the United Nations, various jurisdictions have acknowledged Indigenous rights within their respective constitutions. Although not explicit, some constitutional provisions, such as those included in the Norwegian Constitution, when read together with other articles, provide tentative opportunities for the implementation of an Indigenous legal system and an Indigenous court. Some Constitutions, such as that of Ecuador, are more explicit in providing constitutional recognition of an Indigenous legal system as well as rights to nature and, the interim Constitution of Nepal, courts for Indigenous Peoples.

year: 2014

title: Privacy-preserving encoding for cloud computing

authors: Will, Mark Antony

subjects: Homomorphic Encryption

abstract: Information in the cloud is under constant attack from cyber criminals as profitability increases; user privacy is also at risk with data being mined for monetary value – the new gold. A single leak could have devastating consequences for a person or organisation, yet users have limited control over their privacy. It is becoming clear that the current model for public cloud computing is flawed, where cloud vendors and their employees can no longer be trusted to protect user data. Privacy-preserving computation in the cloud keeps data private at all times but still remains functional, thus returning control of data back to users. The cloud could then perform operations using data that it cannot comprehend. The end-user would then be able to retrieve the results from the cloud and unlock the real answers.
Homomorphic encryption is a solution for privacy-preserving processing, allowing computation over cipher text. At the time of writing, a fully homomorphic system allows arbitrary operations but requires minutes to compute an operation, whereas partially homomorphic encryption can only support a single operation, meaning it cannot be a generic solution to privacy-preserving computing. Another solution is multi-party computation, which uses a distributed approach built upon homomorphic encryption but currently suffers other limitations like reusability and lacks the ability to be truly dynamic.
The primary objective of this research is to design a solution for the cloud that offers privacy-preserving data computation but provides performance and flexibility. A novel approach for multi-party computation is developed, where the combination of encoding and distribution helps provide the balance between security, performance and utility. Privacy is maintained by each distributed entity only receiving a small portion of the actual data through encoding, where attempting to brute-force the data results in a vast number of possibilities, similar to encryption. Functions are defined with universal or custom logic and are computed quickly, as the performance overhead is no longer computational but network latency. A cloud voting application was used for analysis between existing solutions and the novel approach taken by this research, which is able to add thousands of votes per minute, giving practical privacy-preserving processing in the cloud.

text: Privacy-preserving encoding for cloud computing Information in the cloud is under constant attack from cyber criminals as profitability increases; user privacy is also at risk with data being mined for monetary value – the new gold. A single leak could have devastating consequences for a person or organisation, yet users have limited control over their privacy. It is becoming clear that the current model for public cloud computing is flawed, where cloud vendors and their employees can no longer be trusted to protect user data. Privacy-preserving computation in the cloud keeps data private at all times but still remains functional, thus returning control of data back to users. The cloud could then perform operations using data that it cannot comprehend. The end-user would then be able to retrieve the results from the cloud and unlock the real answers.
Homomorphic encryption is a solution for privacy-preserving processing, allowing computation over cipher text. At the time of writing, a fully homomorphic system allows arbitrary operations but requires minutes to compute an operation, whereas partially homomorphic encryption can only support a single operation, meaning it cannot be a generic solution to privacy-preserving computing. Another solution is multi-party computation, which uses a distributed approach built upon homomorphic encryption but currently suffers other limitations like reusability and lacks the ability to be truly dynamic.
The primary objective of this research is to design a solution for the cloud that offers privacy-preserving data computation but provides performance and flexibility. A novel approach for multi-party computation is developed, where the combination of encoding and distribution helps provide the balance between security, performance and utility. Privacy is maintained by each distributed entity only receiving a small portion of the actual data through encoding, where attempting to brute-force the data results in a vast number of possibilities, similar to encryption. Functions are defined with universal or custom logic and are computed quickly, as the performance overhead is no longer computational but network latency. A cloud voting application was used for analysis between existing solutions and the novel approach taken by this research, which is able to add thousands of votes per minute, giving practical privacy-preserving processing in the cloud.

year: 2019