Pūhoro is a successful recipient of the newly established He Aka Ka Toro research fund. The fund, managed by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, supports iwi, hapū and hapori to develop their own internal capacity to engage with Māori knowledge in the rohe where it is practiced, and where experts and practitioners are based. 

Pūhoro will use this fund to develop an evidence-based approach to growing the next generation of mātauranga-inspired STEM practitioners. The research will develop opportunities for rangatahi to collaborate with local community practitioners to expand their understanding of mātauranga and consider the contemporary application of mātauranga in STEM spaces. 

“The goal is to prepare rangatahi to revolutionalise the sector and find solutions to improve the lives of their whānau and communities,” said Kemp Reweti – Manahautū CE

“We can achieve this by nurturing Mātauranga-inspired rangatahi STEM practitioners, but we first need to awaken and harness the potential of mātauranga in STEM,” he said. 

The funding has enabled us to welcome two experienced Māori researchers and former tertiary educators to the team to lead this project.

Dr Margaret Forster, he uri o Rongomaiwahine me Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, is a Māori scientist specialising in kaitiakitanga and tauheretanga.

Dr Felicity Ware, he uri o Ngāpuhi, is an expert in rangatahi research, Māori parenting, and hauora.

Together they bring a wealth of experience in researching with Māori communities and working at the interface of mātauranga and science. 

“We are excited to welcome Dr Margaret and Dr Felicity to the team to lead out this work. Their wealth of experience will enable us to make a substantive contribution to building the influencers and leaders of the STEM economy of tomorrow,” said Kemp.

“This is an exciting time for Pūhoro as we diversify into research to support our strategic plan to drive change and forge new pathways for Māori in STEM,” he said.

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