5 Māehe | March 2026 

Hikohiko te uira, papā te whatitiri i kanapu i te rangi, haruru ana te ao. 

Welcome to a special edition of the Kanapu pānui dedicated to our upcoming annual flagship wānanga, Hui Hihiri, taking place on Wednesday 18 March 2026.

Kanapu is designed by Māori, for Māori, to connect, attract, nurture and accelerate Māori talent and leadership in research, science, innovation and technology (RSIT).

The initiative is led by New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence, Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, funded by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, Hīkina Whakatutuki, and based at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato in Kirikiriroa.

Anchored in mātauranga and tikanga Māori, our approach is to support and share pathways of success, provide the right tools and resources at the right time, and offer advice and support through our practices of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga.

Hui Hihiri 2026 – focusing on the theme ‘Whakahikonga Uira: Igniting Our Leadership’ – will explore pathways and opportunities for Māori success in RSIT.

The wānanga enables Māori researchers, scientists and innovators as well as hapū and hapori Māori to come together to strengthen their capability and capacity to achieve their RSIT aspirations.

Hui Hihiri is also an invaluable networking opportunity – for Māori tertiary students; grassroots collectives who are leading out this kaupapa in their rohe; and Māori working in Public Research Organisations (PROs) who want to connect with communities and create pathways for their staff.

A small group of early career Māori and their mentors in the RSIT sector will gather in Kirikiriroa for Hui Hihiri 2026 but most will participate online for free from around the motu.

Tēnā tukuna atu ki a wai ake – feel free to share!

Keynote Speakers:

Melanie Mark-Shadbolt 
Ngāti Kahungunu, Rangitāne, Ngāti Porou, Te Arawa, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Whakatōhea, Te Atiawa

‘Accelerating Kaitiakitanga:
Māori Leadership Across Changing Environmental Systems’ 
Keynote Science Speaker and Workshop Facilitator

As biodiversity loss, biosecurity risks and climate disruption intensify, Māori leadership across research, science, innovation and technology is increasingly focused on transforming systems for the future.

Indigenous environmental sociologist Melanie-Mark Shadbolt reframes kaitiakitanga as leadership, highlighting how mātauranga Māori and Indigenous decision-making are shaping innovative responses to environmental change.

Dr Mahonri Owen 
Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Tūwharetoa

‘High-Tech Innovation: 
Culture-Centred Design Principles’ 
Keynote Innovation Speaker and Workshop Facilitator

Mātauranga Māori offers powerful design principles grounded in mātauranga and interconnection.

Dr Mahonri Owen is an academic and researcher at the School of Engineering at the University of Waikato. He explores how these principles inform his work developing next-generation biomedical technology that adapts to people, environments and changing life contexts.

Hine-Kaunuku (Morgana) Watson 
Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Te Ati Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāpuhi

‘Māori Futurism and Interactive Media: 
Our Indigenous Advantage in Tech Spaces’ 
Keynote Technology Speaker and Workshop Facilitator

Interactive media creator and founder of Taranaki-based 4Phase Games, Hine-Kaunuku Watson draws on Māori game development to examine how Māori futurism and interactive media embed mātauranga Māori into media design.

Using speculative fiction, pūrākau, game worlds and mechanics as examples, she shows how Māori-led interactive media creates ethical technologies and experiences that support relationships to taiao, identity, knowledge transmission and Indigenous prioritisation in tech.

Panel Discussion: 

‘Kia Hora Te Marino: Navigating Change as Māori Leaders in Research, Science, Innovation and Technology’ 

Professor Kura Paul-Burke 
Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Whakahemo, Ngāti Mākino, Ngāti Pūkeko, Irish
Pūtaiao | Science: Panelist

Marine ecologist Kura Paul-Burke has extensive experience blending Western science with mātauranga Māori to help coastal hapū and iwi communities to restore, monitor and manage marine taonga.

Her methodologies and techniques are being adopted in other regions, normalising mātauranga Māori in marine science, empowering iwi and delivering tangible environmental, cultural and social gains.

James Whetū 
Waikato, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Raukawa
Auaha | Innovation: Panelist

With a background in environmental planning and policy, Whetū Consultancy Group director James Whetū has significant experience in integrating and incorporating Māori values, perspectives and knowledge into resource management practices.

His ability to critically analyse situations and work towards finding innovative solutions that meet the interests of all parties is one of his most valued skills and currently sees him working to find ways to implement Indigenous values, traditions and knowledge within other Western ideologies, worldviews and frameworks.

Professor Te Taka Keegan 
Waikato-Maniapoto, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whakaue
Hangarau | Technology: Panelist

Te Taka Keegan is celebrated as the first Māori Professor of Computer Science at the University of Waikato and a visionary in Indigenous-focused technology.

His journey blends deep cultural insight with world-class technical expertise – from early work translating major computing systems into te reo Māori to developing AI-driven language tools that support Māori language revitalisation and empower iwi.

Register for Hui Hihiri 2026 now!

We would be grateful if you could share this pānui about our upcoming wānanga with anyone that you think could benefit from this opportunity.

Follow our Kanapu channels on Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin for updates.

Videos featuring keynote speeches and panel discussions from previous Hui Hihiri are also available to view on the Kanapu Vimeo page.

If you have any pātai, please email us at kiaora@kanapu.maori.nz.

He mihi nui,

Nā ngā Ringa Hāpai o Kanapu