Vision Mātauranga Development Fund recipients awarded

The Vision Mātauranga Development Fund (VMDF) aims to develop mutually beneficial research partnerships with Māori communities, expand Indigenous knowledge (mātauranga Māori) research, and advance Māori academic leadership. Its approach enhances Māori success and unlocks science and innovation potential of Māori knowledge, people, and resources.

The recipients of this year’s fund are Dr Rebecca Peer and Dr Matthew Hughes.

Senior lecturer in Civil Systems Engineering Dr Peer’s project engages with Māori iwi and hapū to understand indigenous perspectives on energy, sustainability, and energy transitions.

The project “Māori perspectives in New Zealand’s sustainable energy future” supports ongoing research on pathways towards a net-zero energy system, with the goal of integrating mātauranga Māori into planning and evaluating our energy futures in Aotearoa.

Dr Hughes, Senior   Lecturer in Civil and Natural Resources Engineering uses the fund to engage with hapū to investigate water resource resilience under climate change conditions, characterise past and future evolution of critical infrastructure systems that communities need for sustainable economies, and upskill locals in geospatial technologies to enhance their roles as kaitiaki (environmental stewards). His research is titled “Iwi and Infrastructure – Enhancing Indigenous Input to Infrastructure System Development: A case study of Whirinaki, Hokianga, Te Tai Tokerau”.