The goal of this project was to articulate a new vision for mātauranga Māori. Elements of this new vision are already arising withing Māori communities and New Zealand as a whole. Ideas emerging include the notion that mātauranga Māori is a distinctive national taonga, a tangible asset and opportunity in our nation's life and culture.
The project entailed researching and writing introductory statements on five themes that relate to this body of knowledge. Our aspiration is to provide clarity and direction with respect to what is meant by the terms ‘mātauranga Māori’ and to offer suggestions as to the creative opportunities that exist within this body of knowledge to contribute to a wide range of pursuits including education, health, research, arts, science and more.
‘Mātauranga Māori’ is a modern term for a body of knowledge that was brought to these islands by Polynesian ancestors of present-day Māori. Here this body of knowledge grew according to life in Aotearoa and Te Wai Pounamu. Despite an initial period of change and growth, the arrival of European populations in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries brought major impacts to the life of this knowledge, endangering it in many and substantial ways. All, however, was not lost as new knowledge was created through the encounter with the European and through the experience of the creation of the new nation called New Zealand. Important fragments and portions – notably the Māori language - remain today. These fragments and portions are catalysing a new creative period in Māori history and culture and in the life of the New Zealand nation.
The five themes of the research are as follows:
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What is mātauranga Māori?
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The Beginnings of an Epistemology of Mātauranga Māori: Mātauranga Māori as a perspective on knowledge and knowing
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Mātauranga Māori and Worldview
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Wānanga: The Creation of Mātauranga Māori
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Mātauranga Māori in Society: Towards a New Vision
The research developed views on each of these themes and they are presented in five monographs. As there is much that can be said about these themes and many questions are possible, each theme was shaped by posing selected questions. Our goal was to weave a range of views together into a coherent whole and present them as a starting point for ongoing discussion, debate and wānanga concerning Mātauranga Māori. We hope that the research will hold relevance and find application in a range of settings including research organisations, education institutions, marae, iwi organisations and more.
The project ran from 2004-2007 and was supported by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. (
www.frst.govt.nz)
Lead Researcher: Dr. Charles Royal
Researchers: Tania Simpson, Dr. Te Maire Tau
Advisory Committee: Dr. Hirini Moko Mead, Emeritus Professor Ranginui Walker, Ngārongo Iwikātea Nicholson (Ahorangi, Te Wānanga-o-Raukawa)
Copies of the research monographs can be obtained at our Store. These PDF monographs will be progressively introduced to our store throughout 2009.
Readers will also be interested to know that in 2008, MKTA also published Te Ngākau: He Wānanga i te Mātauranga, a companion text in Māori. This too will become available later in 2009.