Nga Kete a Rehua Inaugural Maori Research Symposium Book Launch

It is with great pleasure that I come here, to Aotahi, the School of Maori and Indigenous Studies, to launch the published proceedings for Nga Kete a Rehua Inaugural Maori Research Symposium.

I want to thank Associate Professor Dr Rawiri Taonui  - and Aotahi - for hosting the symposium which brings us together today. I want to also acknowledge the partnership provided by Te Tapuae o Rehua and the significant contribution it has made towards lifting Maori participation in tertiary education in Te Waipounamu.

I think I can say, hand on heart, that the advancement of Maori knowledge is of the utmost importance to all of us here.

Maori have been associated with cutting edge research, with strategic direction, intellectual rigour and scholarship mai ra ano.  Nga Kete a Rehua simply followed a long and proud legacy of Maori research in our tribal histories, and our identity.

Indeed the concept of the three kete of knowledge, whilst varying from tribe to tribe, is part of our understanding of who we are.

In our Kahungunu traditions, we talk about:

• Te kete uruuru matua - the knowledge of peace, of goodness and of love;

• Te kete uruuru rangi - our prayers, our karakia, our rituals;

• Te kete uruuru tau - the knowledge of our earthwork, stonework, wood work, agriculture and war.

Other iwi refer to the concepts of te kete aronui; te kete tuauri, and te kete tuaatea.

These are universal and yet unique constructs which remind us that our greatest strength is in knowing we are tangata whenua.

We are the people of the land - the mana whenua - the treaty partner.   Our language, our culture, our capacity to live and to learn as Maori provides us with the foundation for our future.

Within this, the education system has a particular responsibility to assist in the pathway towards the regeneration of the Maori language and culture, while at the same time inspiring success in Maori scholarship and educational endeavours.

Research and innovation makes a substantial difference to changing the outcomes for our people.

It is therefore really important to acknowledge the impact of the Nga Kete a Rehua inaugural Maori research symposium as providing the opportunity for potential to be recognised and to be fostered.

Held in September 2008 the symposium demonstrated the strength of Maori research within Te Waipounamu in an extensive range of areas - from law to tourism to education.

It brought together 350 academics, postgraduate and undergraduate students, iwi and representatives from government.  Key on everyone's agenda was the desire to build Maori research capacity, to engage with Maori communities and to facilitate networking between scholars.

I want to mihi to Ngai Tahu for your outstanding leadership in this area.

Anyone who saw the documentary on Maori television on Wednesday night, Kotahi Mano Kaika about the revival of te reo Maori in Te Wai Pounamu, would have been impressed at the vigour and the passion of the people for strengthening the iwi as the repositories of te reo and matauranga Maori.

The Nga Kete a Rehua symposium is another example of that leadership on the ground, carving out a trail to explore new possibilities and to inspire the next generation.

As the Associate Minister of Education I am determined that we must address the under-performance of our education system in the way in which it meets - or fails to meet - the needs of our people.

Ka Hikitia, the Maori Education Strategy, is about transforming the way in which the education system performs for and with Maori.

The proceedings that will come from Nga Kete a Rehua will be powerful policy informers which can strengthen our knowledge base in the education sector.  It is so exciting that education policy can be informed by research which is firmly set in Maori experience and grounded in Maori epistemology.

The publication supports the wellbeing and development aspirations of our people, while at the same time leading to improved outcomes for Maori.

I am so proud to be able to give my support to this work, to celebrate your initiative and your creative courage, and to recognise that it is publications like yours that show us all the way to make a difference for our people.