Māori Scholars Co-Lead Global Research Network to Reshape Indigenous Success in Universities

Māori researchers from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington have launched an ambitious five-year international collaboration aimed at transforming how universities support Indigenous knowledge and scholars. The project, titled 'Our Research Futures: Indigenous Pathways for Research in Higher Education', is being co-led alongside Cape Breton University in Canada, according to a report by Waatea News on 28 August 2026. The global network has secured approximately NZ$613,000 ($500,000 CAD) in funding from Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The initiative seeks to challenge conventional academic structures and establish sustainable pathways for Indigenous researchers. The Te Herenga Waka contingent is led by Dr Mike Ross from Te Kawa a Māui and Associate Professor Brian Diettrich from the New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī. Professor Rawinia Higgins, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Māori and Kaitiakitanga at Te Herenga Waka, noted that the project aims to build a pipeline for new Indigenous voices. A key objective is ensuring scholars can thrive within the academy without being forced to separate themselves from their ancestral languages, cultures, or community knowledge systems. Dr Ross emphasized the principle of Kāpuia te kākaho—strength through unity—as a driving force for the collaboration. The research will be uniquely multilingual, conducted across te reo Māori, Mi’kmaw, and Nahuatl, as well as English and French. This approach acknowledges that Indigenous knowledge is best understood through its own linguistic frameworks rather than through Western academic translation. Over the next five years, the international team—which includes Professor Marcia Ostashweski and Dean Laurianne Sylvester from Canada—will produce multimedia resources, digital learning tools, and academic publications intended to benefit both universities and Indigenous communities globally.