For emerging researchers, introductory content that is specific to the Aotearoa context can be hard to find. Research methods for education and the social disciplines in Aotearoa New Zealand draws on the thinking of numerous local researchers to deliver an overview and introduction to research methodology and methods, in a way that closely ties…

Higher education in Aotearoa New Zealand -- we have a problem. Maori and Pasifika academics are not given time to talk together about Maori and Pasifika student success. Often framed by 'the academy' from a deficit position, initiatives to address the 'problem' of Maori student and Pasifika student success is often ad hoc and disconnected, rarely…

Growing interest in Pacific issues has meant a surge in Pacific research across the globe. Sadly, some research on Pacific people has been done without Pacific knowledge, wisdom and culture. As Pacific researchers, we understand the importance of outputs that interweave our ancestral and cultural wisdom, whilst centring and privileging our…

The move to focus on Pacific indigenous research methodologies and methods is a complex yet ongoing experience for researchers of Pacific heritage. The relational positionalities of Pacific researchers allow a move away from a dual or binary perspective of one's research responsibilities to a more fluid understanding of what it means to do…

What then can the body of Arts -- Research -- Education do? What can arts based educational research produce (hereafter ABER)? As emerging researchers in this field, we begin this chapter in the middle of a reflective conversation about many assemblages and about our journey into arts based education research, and what life was emergent in a…

This paper delves into the innovative use of the potluck, or "pa'ina," as a metaphor to reimagine a research approach aimed at fostering collective understanding between non-Indigenous knowledge seekers and Indigenous knowledge guardians in Indigenous contexts. By embracing the broader context of research, this metaphor strives to create…

Jacoba Matapo, Associate Dean Pasifika in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, opens this discussion by introducing herself by way of her pepha; which she says is integral to who she is. She defines this as her way of being, connecting, and knowing the world. She describes herself as a Samoan, New Zealand-born Pasifika…

The problematics of accessing res participants have been largely under-stated in the education research literature. This article discusses two case studies which illustrate the complexity of the process of access. This is complexity beyond ethical consent; it is the complexity of gaining access to research sites and participants and of ongoing…

Using the Pacific metaphor of the vaka, va'a, waka [canoe] this review considers the journey of Pasifika early childhood education (ECE) in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past decade. The discussion covers three major areas within the Pasifika sector: the need to celebrate the strong heritage and resilience of Pacific early childhood educators and…

In Aotearoa-New Zealand there continue to be enduring challenges from Maori scholars and communities about the ethics of Pakeha educational researcher involvement in Maori communities. This paper critically discusses how understanding forms of Pakeha paralysis is an important component of creating sustainable and inclusive educational research…

In the complex and diverse region of Oceania, researchers often work across more than one cultural understanding. Thus, a researcher's position with regard to their research requires careful ongoing negotiation because position, when understood through relationality, is fluid. Negotiating position requires acute reflexivity of the researcher but…

This article has two aims. First, it conveys the results of a questionnaire and focus-group study. This study asked parents of 3-to-5-year-old children what they would like to help support their children's development toward the transition from early childhood services to primary school. Second, it describes the process of university researcher…

This article explores the use of autoethnography to investigate and exemplify work as a Pakeha (read European) teacher educator working with undergraduate physical education students in the context of the indigenous Maori culture in Aotearoa New Zealand. To show the author's world and understanding of it, she brings the reader into contact with…

This working paper focuses on how Pakeha have become involved in Maori-determined and controlled educational research, and what issues inhibit and facilitate their work. This paper focuses on the experiences of four Pakeha educational researchers who have been engaged in different forms of kaupapa Maori research since the early 1990s. Placing…

This paper examines Early Intervention (EI) service provision from within one Ministry of Education region in New Zealand. It does this in order to better understand what works well and what needs to change if children from Maori families, of Early Childhood age, are to be provided with the most effective EI services. By engaging with Maori…