The Expression of Interest stage of the Grants recently closed. As expected, the quality of the expressions of interest received for both grants was extremely high and both Advisory Panels had robust debate and deliberations prior to making their decisions. At the time of writing three applicants to the Reo Māori Grant have been asked to submit a full application and four applicants to the Māori Economic Development Grant have been asked to do likewise. These seven groups represent a wide range of researchers from various institutions and organisations and we await with interest their full proposals. As the grants are a new initiative for the Centre, Dr Brewin held a workshop on 3 December 2009 to provide support and guidance to the successful applicants in completing the full application forms.

The closing date for the full applications is 19 February for the Reo Māori Grant and 26 February 2010 for the Māori Economic Development Grant. Both Advisory Panels will meet in March 2010 to make their final recommendations to the newly appointed Director, Professor Charles Royal. It is envisaged that the Reo Māori Grant will commence in May 2010 and the Māori Economic Development Grant will commence in June 2010.

The Seventh International Indigenous Research Wānanga for mid-career and senior Māori and Indigenous researchers was held in Rotorua in November.

The Wānanga provided an opportunity and space for the researchers to present, consider, discuss, evaluate and complete academic pieces for publication thereby contributing to the Māori, Indigenous and International Academy. This was also an opportunity for researchers to extend national and international indigenous research networks and to enable cross disciplinary conversations related to indigenous research methodologies.

The fifteen attendees were representative of Institutions across the country including Massey Waikato and Auckland Universities, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiarangi and Whanganui based independent research entity Whakauae Maori Research Services. Professor Karina Walters our International indigenous participant from the University of Washington welcomed the opportunity to participate in the International Wānanga.

The latest issue of AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples is now available.

AlterNative Volume 5, Number 1 is a general issue and includes 8 articles on different indigenous themes from around the world. Many papers in the issue address naming, as it relates to place, distinctiveness, meaning and interpretation. The articles are united by issues of indigenous identity and social justice. They cover diverse topics, such as place names in King Island Alaska, Māori responses to coroner legislation, Aboriginal education in Canada, and the difficulties of literary translation across different cultures, using Assamese as an example. Also discussed is the resurgence in Alutiiq mask carving on Kodiak Island, the integration of Māori Indigenous and Western knowledge in flax weaving, how Dakota lifeways can contribute to community adaptation, and tālanga as a Tongan mode of interpretation. All of the articles suggest ways of reframing indigenous experience, showing sensitivity to issues of cultural mistranslation and misreading.
A full list of the contents and abstracts can be found by clicking here.
To order this issue or to subscribe to this and future issues of AlterNative, click here.

We welcome submissions at any time, but papers for consideration in the June 2010 general issue should reach us no later that 31st December 2009. Please visit our website for more details on our guidelines and how to submit.
www.alternative.ac.nz

‘Movement ecology’ of the common brush tail possum:

(Implications for culturally sensitive control strategies)

Dr Todd Dennis, The University of Auckland

Wednesday, 18th November, 3 – 4pm

Room 101, Rehutai Building, Māori Studies,

16 Wynyard St, Auckland

Recent innovations in the means by which location information is obtained from vagile animals have catalysed the development of ‘movement ecology’ (see Nathan et al., PNAS, 2008), a new scientific sub-discipline which seeks to understand what factors influence the ecology and behaviour of animals by quantifying how, where, and when they move, and by identifying what factors influence the course of their ‘lifetime tracks’. In the context of the ‘movement ecology’ paradigm, I will describe some of the results of our study of common brushtail possums in New Zealand, particularly with regard to how fine-scale knowledge of the movement and activity patterns of this species can be used to improve control practices in areas where possums constitute a significant contribution to the local economies of rural Maori communities.

Nau mai, haere mai! All Welcome!

Email info@maramatanga.co.nz

Ph 09 373 7599 ext 84220

www.maramatanga.co.nz