Poipoia kia rere – helping the fledgling to fly
These internships are open to tauira Māori in their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or final year at University or Wānanga looking to grow their skills and career pathways in Māori informed and mātauranga Māori led research. Each intern was mentored through a kaupapa Māori-led programme plan and worked alongside experienced Manaaki Whenua scientists, and was paid the 'living wage'.
2022-23 was the second summer of the Poipoia Kia Rere programme, run by Manaaki Whenua.
Science communication & climate change
Flooded road following Cyclone Gabrielle
Te tipu te Māramatanga: The development of a science communication strategy for climate change adaptation
Location: Kirikiriroa | Hamilton
The student will be supporting the development of communication strategies for projects under Te Tipu te Māramatanga.
Regenerative agriculture
Indigenous narratives in regenerative agriculture
Location: Ideally Lincoln, but can be done remotely
The goal of this project is to identify narratives expressed by indigenous entities (communities, not-for-profit initiatives, agribusinesses, educators, legislators, etc.) in relation to regenerative agriculture in Aotearoa and Canada.
Ecological Restoration
Whenua Koiora: Resilient Ecological Restoration
Location: Kirikiriroa | Hamilton
This project aims to understand what resilient restoration looks like for iwi and hapū within the Waikato. A number of experts (approximately 5-8) who are leading or supporting iwi and hapū to restore their taiao within the Waikato will be interviewed. There will be a more focused case study looking at work Ngāti Whakamarurangi is leading around Toreparu Wetland (western Waikato) and what restoration looks like for them in the face of climate change. Our major output will be a restoration plan for Toreparu wetland which reflects an indigenous perspective of restoration and resilience.
Review: Māori in science
The Acceptance of Alien – The Changing Landscape of Māori in Science
Location: Kirikiriroa | Hamilton
This project is designed to build bridges between western sciences in the sustainability space and Māori narratives on sustainability, which will include aspects of mātauranga Māori.
Water Policy & GIS
Lake Whatumā. Image: Lakes 380
Enabling kaitiakitanga using planning mechanisms – a water policy and GIS approach
Location: Palmerston North
The intern will use relevant tools to inform water policy and land-based environmental management. This includes the use of spatial data, analysis and modelling as well as land use management practices. The project involves a local approach to policy mechanisms that underpin water and land use management for Lake Whatumā (Hatuma), Waipukurau. This includes enabling iwi/hapū/whānau to manage, mitigate, rehabilitate and develop the Lake and surrounds inline with their aspirations. GIS will be an important tool to bring together data and information, as well as share these data visually.
River restoration
Hōteo Awa. Image: Auckland Council
The development of a hapū-informed communications strategy for the effective uptake of western science and mātauranga Māori, leading to empowered hapū-led river restoration
Location: Kirikiriroa | Hamilton
The intern will develop a communications strategy for Ngā Māunga Whakahii o Kaipara that will provide a case-study for the He Awa Ora Project, which critically analyses the relevance and use of geomorphic concepts and other science principles, alongside mātauranga, in hapū-led river restoration.
Thermal tolerance of plant metabolism under a warming climate
Developing a measuring protocol to quantify the thermal tolerance of leaf metabolism using the state-of-the-art technique
Location: Palmerston North
- Measuring the temperature response curve of leaf respiration and minimal chlorophyll a fluorescence in the lab
- Data analysis/computer programming
- Literature review