The Rauika Māngai are a group of Māori representatives from across all eleven National Science Challenges, who recently put their combined wisdom and advice into one, freely accessible guide.
A Guide To Vision Mātauranga: Lessons from Māori voices in the New Zealand science sector is the result of a two-day Vision Mātauranga Leadership Hui, held late 2019.
Over 100 people were welcomed onto Ngā Wai o Horotiu Marae at Auckland University of Technology, to share their knowledge and experience at the interface of Māori and scientific worlds.
Chair of Rauika Māngai Dr Jessica Hutchings says “Good seeds grow best in fertile ground.”
“For science initiatives where Māori knowledge, people, and resources can thrive, the power structures and organisations that host and nourish these initiatives must be arable, not horrible,” she says.
“It is vital that decision-makers and the wider academic community allow mātauranga Māori the opportunity to evolve so that we can deliver science and research that provides the solutions to these wicked problems.”
To foster this evolution the group have divided the guide into three sections: Vision Mātauranga Leadership Development – intended for Māori researchers; Bringing Vision Mātauranga To Life – for all researchers; and Empowering The Future – for government agencies and research organisations.
BioHeritage members of Rauika Māngai Melanie Mark-Shadbolt and Dr Shaun Ogilvie add that not only should this document be compulsory reading for all NZ based researchers, but that it should be seen as a catalyst for the system to evolve in a manner that caters for Māori research needs and aspirations.