We have been talking to some of the researchers on our database, to hear and share their inspiring stories. Read more below.

If you would like to share your story with us, please get in touch with us here.

Sincere Duhabwanayo

We spoke to researcher Sincere Duhabwanayo about her study in conflict resolution and how coming to know there are two very different understandings of Treaty of Waitangi and Te Tiriti affected her comprehension of New Zealand politics.

Jordan Green

We asked rangatahi researcher Jordan Green about her research. Does having a wahine Māori perspective affect her research?

Madeline Shelling

We asked Madeline Shelling from Ihi Research what drives her research, and how it is important to her to re-indigenise research to create a more effective policy for addressing food systems that recognise and support whānau, hapu, and iwi to battle against food insecurity.

Dr Irene Ayallo 

Community Research asked Dr Irene Ayallo about what drives her, and what it means to do research well. “… it has changed since my pre-undergraduate days, learning about the traditional ways of doing research and what makes effective research, especially from a postcolonial perspective”.

‘Alapasita Teu

Alapasita Teu talked to Community Research about the importance of education, and why it was important to her to refuse to give in to the stereotypes of being educated in a low decile school. Alapasita chose a path of advocacy in education that is led by community aspirations: “… it’s people in their lived experiences and also collective wisdom that help to make those solutions happen”.

Dr Rand Hazou

“The narrative that connects us (New Zealanders and Palestinians) is settler colonialism. And so the reason why my heart feels so connected to – I guess the struggle of Māoridom – is because I can see it unfolding in my homeland.  Here, we’re trying to undo the legacies of colonialism, but right at the moment, for me, my political stance is that Israel is a settler colonial state, and so we’re seeing colonialism being rolled out at the moment, and it’s impacting severely on my people.”

Dr Dianne Wepa

Dr Dianne Wepa talked to Community Research about her background, journey and research into mental health and Māori whānau engagement with healthcare.

Dr Nadeera Ranabahu

Dr Nadeera Ranabahu believes research needs to have a bigger impact. Nadeera is a researcher and teacher at University of Canterbury.  She’d like to see research shared more widely, and used more often by practitioners, and policy makers in public sectors.

Cristy Trewartha

Dr Cristy Trewartha is a researcher and change strategist who has spent most of her career in family violence prevention mahi. Her mission is to empower communities with quality research to see themselves more clearly, to establish strengths and to assess what resources are needed to tackle change making more effectively from the grassroots and up.

Dr Terryann Clark

Dr Terryann Clark (Ngāpuhi) is passionate about giving voice to positive stories of rangatahi and whānau Māori.  Growing up, she didn’t know anyone who had gone to university, but can now look back on 20 years of academic mahi benefiting youth in Aotearoa.