Cuts to Māori research centre a travesty

Cutting the funding to Ngā Pae o te Maramatanga centre of research excellence is a travesty and tragedy says Dr Margaret Taurere.

Dr Taurere is speaking on behalf of Māori tertiary education workers who gathered from around the country and passed a resolution today expressing their concern at the decision.

Earlier this week Ngā Pae o te Maramatanga learned it was one of four established centres of research excellence (CoREs) that would lose their funding from the Tertiary Education Commission next year. The Auckland-based Ngā Pae o te Maramatanga leads internationally respected research into Māori communities.

“Ngā Pae is a renowned beacon of success, both for Māori academia and for the wider Māori community, which benefits from its work,” said Dr Taurere.

Māori members of TEU passed a resolution at their annual hui today at Whangārei’s Te Puna ō Te Mātauranga Marae. The resolution calls for the Tertiary Education Commission to reconsider the Ngā Pae o te Maramatanga funding application immediately, because for Ngā Pae not to receive funding will detrimentally affect established and emerging Māori researchers, Kaupapa Māori and mātauranga Māori research outputs.

Dr Taurere says it is hard to imagine how Ngā Pae o te Maramatanga failed to meet the criteria for funding. She and the rest of the Hui are meeting with Māori politicians at 5pm at Te Puna ō Te Mātauranga Marae to express their concerns.

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