Aotahi School of Māori and Indigenous Studies
PEOPLE
- Senior Lecturer Above the Bar
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Senior Lecturer Above the BarAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
Dr Phil Borell has been researching and teaching in Aotahi: School of Māori and Indigenous Studies since 2008. Phil graduated his MA with Distinction in 2013. His thesis provides a thorough analysis of Māori contributions to the sport of rugby league between 1908 and 2012.
In 2022 he completed his PhD thesis, titled 'PolySaturated: Illuminating Polynesian Experiences in Professional Rugby League'. This doctoral thesis utilizes Māori and Pasifika research methods (Pūrākau and Talanoa) to give voice to the experiences of Polynesian (Māori and Pasifika) athletes in professional rugby league.
Phil's research has grown out of his time as a rugby league player, fan and now as a trainer in Canterbury's Premier rugby league competition.
Phil has also published written works examining Māori sporting practices; indigenous masculinity; the politics of sport in Aotearoa-New Zealand; and sport and education in Aotearoa-New Zealand. His current research has a focus on critiquing and rewriting dated narratives of Polynesian masculinity and using sport as a platform for de-colonial practice.Dr Phil Borell has been researching and teaching in Aotahi: School of Māori and Indigenous Studies since 2008. Phil graduated his MA with Distinction in 2013. His thesis provides a thorough analysis of Māori contributions to the sport of rugby league between 1908 and 2012.
In 2022 he completed his PhD thesis, titled 'PolySaturated: Illuminating Polynesian Experiences in Professional Rugby League'. This doctoral thesis utilizes Māori and Pasifika research methods (Pūrākau and Talanoa) to give voice to the experiences of Polynesian (Māori and Pasifika) athletes in professional rugby league.
Phil's research has grown out of his time as a rugby league player, fan and now as a trainer in Canterbury's Premier rugby league competition.
Phil has also published written works examining Māori sporting practices; indigenous masculinity; the politics of sport in Aotearoa-New Zealand; and sport and education in Aotearoa-New Zealand. His current research has a focus on critiquing and rewriting dated narratives of Polynesian masculinity and using sport as a platform for de-colonial practice.- Faculty of Arts
- Registered to supervise Master's/Doctoral students
- Associate Professor
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Associate ProfessorAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
I am interested in practices of 'decoloniality' in Aotearoa. This includes understanding the ways in which coloniality reproduces and sustains itself and maintains the interests of dominant groups in society and how we might subvert those processes. To this end, one part of my research project includes using Maori epistemologies (and the philosophical insights that we can draw from these) to critique dominant narratives about Maori (and perhaps "others") and create new pathways forward that transcend the binaries of Europeans and natives, Maori and Pakeha, the oppressor and the oppressed.I am interested in practices of 'decoloniality' in Aotearoa. This includes understanding the ways in which coloniality reproduces and sustains itself and maintains the interests of dominant groups in society and how we might subvert those processes. To this end, one part of my research project includes using Maori epistemologies (and the philosophical insights that we can draw from these) to critique dominant narratives about Maori (and perhaps "others") and create new pathways forward that transcend the binaries of Europeans and natives, Maori and Pakeha, the oppressor and the oppressed.- Faculty of Arts
- Registered to supervise Master's/Doctoral students
- Senior Lecturer
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Senior LecturerAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
My main research interests lie within the field of Māori and Indigenous literatures; my PhD thesis completed in 2022 is a study and celebration of Māori writing in English wherein I use various invocations of whakapapa and draw upon pūrākau to read a range of contemporary texts featuring representations of the more-than-human. Inspired by Indigenous literary scholars and decolonizing research methodologies, I situate these texts in an expansive whakapapa of creative production; I therefore have related research interests in Māori and Indigenous art, art history and curation, taonga tuku iho and museum studies, Critical Indigenous Studies, Indigenous ecopoetics, and Māori and Indigenous research methodologies more generally.
My current research, funded by a Marsden fast-start grant awarded in 2023, is based upon our taniwha relatives. As part of this kaupapa, myself and co-researcher Dr Madi Williams along with Pouarataki Curator Māori Chloe Cull curated "Whāia Te Taniwha" - an art exhibition at Te Puna o Waiwhetū Christchurch Art Gallery (Sept 2025-Feb 2026). We are currently working on an illustrated book based on this research.
I also have an interest in Critical Animal Studies and multispecies justice; my MA thesis involved a study of contemporary fictional representations of meat production and consumption in the West. This work prompted research into Māori and Indigenous food sovereignty, mahi māra (gardening), and Indigenous plant-based food ethics. I am a member of the NZ Centre for Human Animal Studies (NZCHAS) based at UC.
My main research interests lie within the field of Māori and Indigenous literatures; my PhD thesis completed in 2022 is a study and celebration of Māori writing in English wherein I use various invocations of whakapapa and draw upon pūrākau to read a range of contemporary texts featuring representations of the more-than-human. Inspired by Indigenous literary scholars and decolonizing research methodologies, I situate these texts in an expansive whakapapa of creative production; I therefore have related research interests in Māori and Indigenous art, art history and curation, taonga tuku iho and museum studies, Critical Indigenous Studies, Indigenous ecopoetics, and Māori and Indigenous research methodologies more generally.
My current research, funded by a Marsden fast-start grant awarded in 2023, is based upon our taniwha relatives. As part of this kaupapa, myself and co-researcher Dr Madi Williams along with Pouarataki Curator Māori Chloe Cull curated "Whāia Te Taniwha" - an art exhibition at Te Puna o Waiwhetū Christchurch Art Gallery (Sept 2025-Feb 2026). We are currently working on an illustrated book based on this research.
I also have an interest in Critical Animal Studies and multispecies justice; my MA thesis involved a study of contemporary fictional representations of meat production and consumption in the West. This work prompted research into Māori and Indigenous food sovereignty, mahi māra (gardening), and Indigenous plant-based food ethics. I am a member of the NZ Centre for Human Animal Studies (NZCHAS) based at UC.
- Faculty of Arts
- Registered to supervise Master's/Doctoral students
- Head of School
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Head of SchoolAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Senior Lecturer
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Senior LecturerAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
My research and the topic of my current PhD studies, focusses on hapū - school partnerships established to transform schooling outcomes for Māori. In this sense, my research aligns with Kaupapa Māori theory, in particular its transformative goals and potential. I investigate the ways both hapū and schools engage and collaborate and ask does the hapū enjoy the status of an equal Tiriti partner. Schools recognize the need to engage with hapū/iwi, however it has been my experience that schools tend to conceptualise the relationship in transactional terms. The resultant unequal relationships between the hapū and schools in the Ngāti Waewae rohe have negatively impacted on the achievement of all Māori. A richer relationship would be to engage in an ongoing dialogue, with solutions created in a collaborative fashion. I posit that schools need to relinquish some authority and control throughout this process and engage in a meaningful Tiriti partnership that protects hapū education interests and guarantees full participation in the life of the schools.
In my research I draw upon literature on Kaupapa Māori theory and research, language revitalization and Place Based education. I position myself as a researcher not as a disinterested external observer to schools and hapū but rather as someone who is embedded in the community – as both a tribal member and as an educational professional and I have a vested interest in the outcomes of the research.My research and the topic of my current PhD studies, focusses on hapū - school partnerships established to transform schooling outcomes for Māori. In this sense, my research aligns with Kaupapa Māori theory, in particular its transformative goals and potential. I investigate the ways both hapū and schools engage and collaborate and ask does the hapū enjoy the status of an equal Tiriti partner. Schools recognize the need to engage with hapū/iwi, however it has been my experience that schools tend to conceptualise the relationship in transactional terms. The resultant unequal relationships between the hapū and schools in the Ngāti Waewae rohe have negatively impacted on the achievement of all Māori. A richer relationship would be to engage in an ongoing dialogue, with solutions created in a collaborative fashion. I posit that schools need to relinquish some authority and control throughout this process and engage in a meaningful Tiriti partnership that protects hapū education interests and guarantees full participation in the life of the schools.
In my research I draw upon literature on Kaupapa Māori theory and research, language revitalization and Place Based education. I position myself as a researcher not as a disinterested external observer to schools and hapū but rather as someone who is embedded in the community – as both a tribal member and as an educational professional and I have a vested interest in the outcomes of the research.- Faculty of Arts
- Associate Head of School
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Associate Head of SchoolAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Senior Lecturer Above the Bar
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Senior Lecturer Above the BarAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
Research interests include the interface between Matauranga Maori/indigenous knowledge and science; Traditional Maori games and sports; Maori sportsResearch interests include the interface between Matauranga Maori/indigenous knowledge and science; Traditional Maori games and sports; Maori sports- Faculty of Arts
- Registered to supervise Master's/Doctoral students
- Associate Dean (Academic)
- Faculty of Arts
- Associate Dean (Academic)Faculty of Arts
- Professor
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- ProfessorAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
I have published widely in areas relating to the Māori language and languages spoken by Māori - from aspects of linguistic change, particularly in the phrasal lexicon, through to language revitalization. I am a member of the MAONZE (Māori and New Zealand English) project examining change over time in the pronunciation of Māori.
I lead the Diversity theme at the New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain and Behaviour (NZILBB) at UC where my previous research includes work on non-verbal behaviour of Māori and Pākehā in New Zealand. Another project, entitled Tuhinga Māhorahora, collects and analyses writing by children in Māori immersion schooling in order to provide feedback to teachers about the use of Māori by their students. For more information see: http://www.nzilbb.canterbury.ac.nz/phoneme_acq.shtml
I have also collaboraed with Una Cunningham on a project entitled Intergeneration Transmission of Minority Languages which is investigating some of the factors which increase the likelihood of children in New Zealand being raised as speakers of these languages. For more information see: http://www.nzilbb.canterbury.ac.nz/ITML.html
My current research focusses on the protolexicon of Māori which adult New Zealanders have gained through exposure to the language and how that might be useful when they start to actively learn the language. More information about that project can be found at: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/nzilbb/research/grants/the-proto-lexicon---how-does-it-emerge-and-can-it-be-awakened/I have published widely in areas relating to the Māori language and languages spoken by Māori - from aspects of linguistic change, particularly in the phrasal lexicon, through to language revitalization. I am a member of the MAONZE (Māori and New Zealand English) project examining change over time in the pronunciation of Māori.
I lead the Diversity theme at the New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain and Behaviour (NZILBB) at UC where my previous research includes work on non-verbal behaviour of Māori and Pākehā in New Zealand. Another project, entitled Tuhinga Māhorahora, collects and analyses writing by children in Māori immersion schooling in order to provide feedback to teachers about the use of Māori by their students. For more information see: http://www.nzilbb.canterbury.ac.nz/phoneme_acq.shtml
I have also collaboraed with Una Cunningham on a project entitled Intergeneration Transmission of Minority Languages which is investigating some of the factors which increase the likelihood of children in New Zealand being raised as speakers of these languages. For more information see: http://www.nzilbb.canterbury.ac.nz/ITML.html
My current research focusses on the protolexicon of Māori which adult New Zealanders have gained through exposure to the language and how that might be useful when they start to actively learn the language. More information about that project can be found at: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/nzilbb/research/grants/the-proto-lexicon---how-does-it-emerge-and-can-it-be-awakened/- Faculty of Arts
- Registered to supervise Master's/Doctoral students
- Lecturer
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- LecturerAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
Research interests include the revitalisation of the Maori language, the study of Maori language through moteatea and waiata and the development of haka.Research interests include the revitalisation of the Maori language, the study of Maori language through moteatea and waiata and the development of haka.- Faculty of Arts
- Lecturer – Teaching and Admin
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Lecturer – Teaching and AdminAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Faculty of Arts
- Professor
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- ProfessorAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
I am from the Tuhourangi iwi, Professor of Māori and Indigenous Philosophies. Committed to investigating Indigenous metaphysics and ontologies, I have written on the issue of colonisation and reductionism. I am currently working on Māori concepts of nothingness and darkness in response to an Enlightenment focus on clarity and am speculating on how they can form the backdrop of academic writing. I am also contributing to philosophical discussions arising around mātauranga Māori and science.
I have experience teaching and researching in educational philosophy and mātauranga Māori, the law, and global studies, as well as aspects of Western philosophy. I have been a named investigator in both international and national research projects and enjoy the collective thinking that can emerge from those spaces.In 2024, I was awarded the University of Canterbury Research Medal.
Also In 2024, I was recipient of the University of Canterbury Faculty of Arts Kairangahau Māori Award for research in Māori philosophies (both traditional and contemporary) and Māori methodologies.I am a Fellow of the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (PESA).
I am a Visiting Professor for Centre of Excellence for Multibeing Justice in Indigenous Societies, University of Helsinki, Finland.
I very much enjoy supervision and welcome inquiries from doctoral students interested in diverse methods and delving into Māori and other Indigenous philosophies.I am from the Tuhourangi iwi, Professor of Māori and Indigenous Philosophies. Committed to investigating Indigenous metaphysics and ontologies, I have written on the issue of colonisation and reductionism. I am currently working on Māori concepts of nothingness and darkness in response to an Enlightenment focus on clarity and am speculating on how they can form the backdrop of academic writing. I am also contributing to philosophical discussions arising around mātauranga Māori and science.
I have experience teaching and researching in educational philosophy and mātauranga Māori, the law, and global studies, as well as aspects of Western philosophy. I have been a named investigator in both international and national research projects and enjoy the collective thinking that can emerge from those spaces.In 2024, I was awarded the University of Canterbury Research Medal.
Also In 2024, I was recipient of the University of Canterbury Faculty of Arts Kairangahau Māori Award for research in Māori philosophies (both traditional and contemporary) and Māori methodologies.I am a Fellow of the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (PESA).
I am a Visiting Professor for Centre of Excellence for Multibeing Justice in Indigenous Societies, University of Helsinki, Finland.
I very much enjoy supervision and welcome inquiries from doctoral students interested in diverse methods and delving into Māori and other Indigenous philosophies.- Faculty of Arts
- Registered to supervise Master's/Doctoral students
- Lecturer - Teaching and Admin
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Lecturer - Teaching and AdminAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Lecturer - Teaching and Admin
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Lecturer - Teaching and AdminAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
Ngāi Tahu / Ngāti Porou / Ngāti Pākehā
Ngāi Tahu / Ngāti Porou / Ngāti Pākehā
- Faculty of Arts
- Adjunct Appointment
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Adjunct AppointmentAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
A late-comer to academia, Patricia brought a background of teaching and textile experience to her study. She completed a BA Hons in the Māori Department, and BA Art History with an emphasis on Māori and Pacific arts in 1996. Her PhD examined traditional Maori dress in order to rediscover forgotten elements of pre-1820 practice.
After completing her PhD she became a Research Associate in the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies for 10 years. During that time she undertook research of the Oceanic collection donated by John Macmillan Brown to the Canterbury Museum, and a three year contract with Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa, working on a FRST funded project "Nga Tipu Raranga Mo Tua Ake” (gathering traditional tikanga about the harvesting of kiekie and other weaving resources).
In 1998 she instigated the planting of the Pa Harakeke on campus and in 2003, initiated the MAOR114/ARTH108 Summer school course ‘Nga Mahi a Ringa’ to encourage Māori and Pacific Island students into research via material culture. She was involved with Nga Puna Waihanga for a number of years, and Honorary Editor of the Māori Weavers’ national newsletter between 1993-2013.
In 2012, Patricia returned to Hikuraki where she is currently hosted as an Adjunct Fellow and continues to research elements of traditional Māori dress.A late-comer to academia, Patricia brought a background of teaching and textile experience to her study. She completed a BA Hons in the Māori Department, and BA Art History with an emphasis on Māori and Pacific arts in 1996. Her PhD examined traditional Maori dress in order to rediscover forgotten elements of pre-1820 practice.
After completing her PhD she became a Research Associate in the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies for 10 years. During that time she undertook research of the Oceanic collection donated by John Macmillan Brown to the Canterbury Museum, and a three year contract with Te Roopu Raranga Whatu o Aotearoa, working on a FRST funded project "Nga Tipu Raranga Mo Tua Ake” (gathering traditional tikanga about the harvesting of kiekie and other weaving resources).
In 1998 she instigated the planting of the Pa Harakeke on campus and in 2003, initiated the MAOR114/ARTH108 Summer school course ‘Nga Mahi a Ringa’ to encourage Māori and Pacific Island students into research via material culture. She was involved with Nga Puna Waihanga for a number of years, and Honorary Editor of the Māori Weavers’ national newsletter between 1993-2013.
In 2012, Patricia returned to Hikuraki where she is currently hosted as an Adjunct Fellow and continues to research elements of traditional Māori dress.- Faculty of Arts
- Senior Lecturer
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Senior LecturerAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
Research interests include Te Waipounamu iwi histories and New Zealand history. Particular focus on the histories of Te Tauihu, oral traditions and myth. The Global Middle Ages with a focus on Polynesia.Research interests include Te Waipounamu iwi histories and New Zealand history. Particular focus on the histories of Te Tauihu, oral traditions and myth. The Global Middle Ages with a focus on Polynesia.- Faculty of Arts
- Registered to supervise Master's/Doctoral students
- Associate Professor
- Aotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
- Associate ProfessorAotahi School of Maori and Indigenous Studies
Jani Wilson (Ngāti Awa, Ngā Puhi, Ngā iwi o Mātaatua) hails from Pāroa on the outskirts of Whakatāne, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, and grew up on the Rangitāiki river. She is currently Associate Professor in Aotahi, School of Māori & Indigenous Studies, but most importantly, she is the proud māmā of a very entertaining daughter, Manaaki (22).
Initially trained in vocals/drama at performing arts school (Excel), she later studied Film, TV & Media Studies to PhD level at the University of Auckland. Since graduating, Jani has worked in public health (smoking cessation, child poverty & problem gambling, UoA), was the inaugural Māori/Pasifika research fellow in Art & Design (DCT), an academic, teacher, and curriculum builder in Māori Media, screenwriting, creative writing (all at Te Ara Poutama, AUT), and led the critical creative media practice pathway (Massey). At this time, she straddles both digital, general arts courses, and teach-ins in community music.
A member of the Royal Society of New Zealand and Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, Jani is a certified Teaching Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (London), and is a reviewer/assessor for a number of journals and publication houses (MAI Journal, AlterNative, Continuum, WINHEC, Routledge, NAIS) and organisations such as Toi Aotearoa/Creative NZ. She is an experienced judge, has mentored a number of new and emerging Māori/Pasifika screen producers, and provides cultural advice for new screen productions as part of Te Rautaki.
Jani is published across Māori screen history, theory and audience, and examines and supervises in screen arts and design and creative technologies. Her research interests include Indigenous screens, Indigenous research methodologies and excellence, the mahi-toi relationship between theory and praxis, and – most prominently – the ongoing evolution of screened kapa haka and the impacts and influences screen production has on the performance of haka, in a current Marsden funded project entitled Kia Rite!
Jani was the kairangahau/kaituhi matua on the report Aroha Noa ki te Ao - A Te Matatini collaborative inquiry (2025, with Kerrie-Anna Tana & Kate MacDonald, in partnership with Te Matatini and The Grace Foundation) which pivots on the transformative nature of kapa haka for kaihaka, all of whom are former prison inmates, and is pou manawa Māori on another Te Matakitenga project Indigenising movement: Building technology to fuel cultural vitality among rangatahi and whānau Māori in Aotearoa (2026) led by Dr. Sierra Keung. In 2024, she completed research collaborations; a Ministry of Culture & Heritage report, Measuring and Articulating the value of live performance in Aotearoa (with collaborators, Creative Futures at Massey University), a Ngā Pae o te Māramamtanga project with Assoc. Profs. Hinekura Smith (UoQueensland) & Donna Campbell (UoWaikato), Toiora, Hauora: Developing Māori arts-based pedagogy for whānau wellbeing (Te Matakitenga Grant).
Jani Wilson (Ngāti Awa, Ngā Puhi, Ngā iwi o Mātaatua) hails from Pāroa on the outskirts of Whakatāne, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, and grew up on the Rangitāiki river. She is currently Associate Professor in Aotahi, School of Māori & Indigenous Studies, but most importantly, she is the proud māmā of a very entertaining daughter, Manaaki (22).
Initially trained in vocals/drama at performing arts school (Excel), she later studied Film, TV & Media Studies to PhD level at the University of Auckland. Since graduating, Jani has worked in public health (smoking cessation, child poverty & problem gambling, UoA), was the inaugural Māori/Pasifika research fellow in Art & Design (DCT), an academic, teacher, and curriculum builder in Māori Media, screenwriting, creative writing (all at Te Ara Poutama, AUT), and led the critical creative media practice pathway (Massey). At this time, she straddles both digital, general arts courses, and teach-ins in community music.
A member of the Royal Society of New Zealand and Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, Jani is a certified Teaching Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (London), and is a reviewer/assessor for a number of journals and publication houses (MAI Journal, AlterNative, Continuum, WINHEC, Routledge, NAIS) and organisations such as Toi Aotearoa/Creative NZ. She is an experienced judge, has mentored a number of new and emerging Māori/Pasifika screen producers, and provides cultural advice for new screen productions as part of Te Rautaki.
Jani is published across Māori screen history, theory and audience, and examines and supervises in screen arts and design and creative technologies. Her research interests include Indigenous screens, Indigenous research methodologies and excellence, the mahi-toi relationship between theory and praxis, and – most prominently – the ongoing evolution of screened kapa haka and the impacts and influences screen production has on the performance of haka, in a current Marsden funded project entitled Kia Rite!
Jani was the kairangahau/kaituhi matua on the report Aroha Noa ki te Ao - A Te Matatini collaborative inquiry (2025, with Kerrie-Anna Tana & Kate MacDonald, in partnership with Te Matatini and The Grace Foundation) which pivots on the transformative nature of kapa haka for kaihaka, all of whom are former prison inmates, and is pou manawa Māori on another Te Matakitenga project Indigenising movement: Building technology to fuel cultural vitality among rangatahi and whānau Māori in Aotearoa (2026) led by Dr. Sierra Keung. In 2024, she completed research collaborations; a Ministry of Culture & Heritage report, Measuring and Articulating the value of live performance in Aotearoa (with collaborators, Creative Futures at Massey University), a Ngā Pae o te Māramamtanga project with Assoc. Profs. Hinekura Smith (UoQueensland) & Donna Campbell (UoWaikato), Toiora, Hauora: Developing Māori arts-based pedagogy for whānau wellbeing (Te Matakitenga Grant).
- Faculty of Arts
- Registered to supervise Master's/Doctoral students