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Aboriginal and Māori PhD candidates collaborate during New Zealand study tour

February 25, 2015

Aboriginal and Māori PhD candidates collaborate during New Zealand study tour

Indigenous PhD students travelled to Aotearoa (New Zealand) in February as part of the first ever Indigenous HDR Study Tour.


From left to right, David Kampers, Anthony McKnight, Ashleigh Johnstone, Jodi Edwards, Professor Jeff Berglund, Andrew Farrell.

The Indigenous PhD Study Tour, which was made possible with the support of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) HEPP funding program, was led by Associate Professors Bronwyn Carlson and Evan Poata-Smith, both convenors of the Forum for Indigenous Research Excellence (FIRE).

“The tour has facilitated stronger collaborative relationships between Māori and Aboriginal Higher Degree Research (HDR) students and academics which are part of the core aims of FIRE,” Professor Carlson said.

In Auckland, the PhD candidates were welcomed on to the Ngà Wai o Horotiu Marae at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) by Māori scholar Dr Dee Sciascia, who is also a member of FIRE.

AUT and the Te Ara Poutama - Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Development hosted the research symposium where both Aboriginal and Māori PhD candidates were able to share doctoral research, build Indigenous research networks and collaborate across disciplines.

“FIRE, which has many international members, is committed to building Indigenous research capacity and capability by supporting emerging researchers and providing pathways for Indigenous students to HDR and to strengthening the connections between Indigenous scholars and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia and Indigenous communities internationally.”

The Study Tour Group then travelled to Rawene in the far north of Aotearoa on the lands of Nga Puhi for a two day workshop, which was funded by the National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network (NIRAKN) and facilitated by FIRE members Professor Jeff Berglund from Northern Arizona University and Associate Professor Carlson and Professor Evan Poata-Smith from UOW.

Professor Poata-Smith is from the far north of New Zealand and belongs to the Te Rarawa and Ngati Kahu people and said he “welcomed the opportunity to introduce Aboriginal HDR students to his tribal community and share the histories of the area”.

“The local Māori Art gallery, No. 1 Parnell in Rawene provided the group with a wonderful venue to work in and the local organic market catered for the workshops. Students worked as a group and individually with Professor Berglund on their research topics. Professor Berglund provided each of the students with resources to assist them on their research journey and provided practical skills for them to use to keep on track with thesis writing,” Professor Carlson added.

When asked about the tour, UOW PhD Candidate Andrew Farrell said: "The FIRE study trip is an experience like no other. Participating, engaging, and working in an active dialogue with Indigenous people from other cultures has inspired and transformed my work in many ways that I am yet to discover."

UOW PhD Candidate Hemopereki Simon shared Mr Farrell’s sentiment.

"This trip has been very valuable for me as I am generally a remote student to UOW based overseas. To come into an environment where I am among researchers who are doing similar work to me is very uplifting. It has also been valuable to engage fellow Indigenous Australian colleagues in my culture and to have space to compare and contrast the similarities and differences that we share,” Mr Simon said.