Rangahau Māori Centre at EIT aims to drive community projects

Te Kura i Awarua, a new EIT Rangahau Māori Centre was opened at the Hawke’s Bay Campus of EIT | Te Pūkenga last year.
Te Kura i Awarua, which means ‘the precious objects (from Awarua)’ is located on EIT’s Hawke’s Bay Campus in Taradale. The new centre has number of important research projects in health, food security, archiving and working with the rich history of hapū and iwi in the region and environmental challenges
Prominent research Professor joins EIT | Te Pūkenga research unit after significant grant

Professor Boyd Swinburn, a nutrition and global health expert, has joined Te Kura i Awarua, the EIT | Te Pūkenga Rangahau Māori Centre, to continue significant research into food security for children in Hawke’s Bay.
Professor Swinburn’s appointment and the continuation of the project are thanks to a significant two-year research grant from A Better Start E Tipu e Rea National Science Challenge. It is largest research grant the Polytech sector (now Te Pūkenga) has ever been awarded.
EIT | Te Pūkenga Policy Think Tank discusses importance of moving from food security to food sovereignty
EIT|Te Pūkenga Māori and Indigenous Research Professor David Tipene-Leach (left) with Senior Researcher Rachael Glassey (middle), Research Professor Boyd Swinburn and Synergia Founding Partner Dr David Rees (back left).
A Think Tank, called Food Security to Food Sovereignty, was organised by Te Kura i Awarua (Rangahau Māori Centre) and EIT Research and Innovation Centre in November 2022. The Think Tank focused on why the fruit bowl of the country has masses of hungry kids and how to resolve these issues.
Inspirational Te Ara Takapau photobook charts remarkable hapū māmā journey
Hine Kerrich (right) at the launch of Te Ara Takapau at Camberley School recently. In the background is a photo of Hine with baby Ariki.
Te Ara Takapau, an inspirational photobook documenting the experience of hapū māmā at the Flaxmere Te Whare Pora, was launched at a Camberley School function recently.
The Te Whare Pora is a weaving centre where expectant mothers and their families learn how to weave wahakura (woven flax bassinet for infants) and in the process get support during their pregnancy. Te Taiwhenua o Heretaunga started this initiative in Flaxmere three years ago.
Homecoming for EIT’s new Rangahau Māori Professor

EIT’s new Professor Rangahau Māori, Dr Annemarie Gillies, has returned to the institution from where she sourced her introduction to academia many years ago at the Hawke’s Bay Community College.
Annemarie (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngäti Awa, Te Whanau-a-Apanui and Te Arawa) is now a long established business and management academic with a previous senior appointment at Massey University and a Professorial appointment at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi.
Developing the potential of Rangahau Māori
EIT Professor of Māori and Indigenous Research David Tipene-Leach (centre) with Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith (left) from the University of Waikato and Professor Jenny Lee-Morgan (right) from Unitec, who were the guest speakers at EIT’s Rangahau Māori research forum last week.
Developing the potential of Rangahau Māori (Māori research) and moving it away from the constraints of western research methodology was the focus of a research forum at EIT’s Taradale campus in May 2021.
Our Team
Te Kura i Awarua Rangahau Māori Centre
Principal Investigator
Professor David Tipene-Leach
Email: dtipene-leach@eit.ac.nz
Principal Investigator
Professor Boyd Swinburn
Email: boyd.swinburn@auckland.ac.nz
Professor of Rangahau Māori
Professor Annemarie Gillies
Email: AGillies@eit.ac.nz
Senior Research Fellow
Rachael Glassey
Email: rglassey@eit.ac.nz
Research Fellow
Renee Railton
Email: rrailton@eit.ac.nz
Assistant Research Fellow
Kirsten Harrild
Email: kharrild@eit.ac.nz
Research Assistant
Raun Makirere Haerewa
Email: RMakirereHaerewa@eit.ac.nz
Administrator
Tuakana August
Email: taugust@eit.ac.nz
Synergia Contractor
David Rees
Email: david.rees@synergia.co.nz
UoA Research Fellow
Kelly Garton
Email: kelly.garton@auckland.ac.nz