Category: EIT Research and Innovation Centre

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Top EIT researcher wins award from international organisation | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

7 mins ago

EIT Associate Professor Pii-Tuulia Nikula, has been awarded a prestigious Associate Editor of the Year award.

A top EIT researcher, Associate Professor Pii-Tuulia Nikula, has been awarded a prestigious Associate Editor of the Year award by the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA).

Pii-Tuulia is well known for her research on management, policy, and sustainability issues in international education, higher education, and the private sector.

Last year she co-edited two books – Student Recruitment Agents in International Higher Education and Sustainable Education Abroad: Striving for Change.

Pii-Tuulia is also an active peer-reviewer and holds editorial roles in international journals. She has contributed to the work of Higher Education Research and Development since 2019, initially as part of the College of Reviewers, and then, as an Associate Editor from 2020 onwards.

The Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia announced last month that Pii-Tuulia is one of two recipients of the Associate Editor of the Year Award for 2023. The other winner was Sylvie Lomer of the University of Manchester in the UK.

The award was established to recognise the outstanding contribution made by the Associate Editors of HERD. Contributions of associate editors are assessed according to the following criteria: Timeliness, Commitment, Decision making, Quality of communication with authors and with the HERD editorial team.

Pii-Tuulia said that she was honoured to be recognised for her work by such an esteemed organisation.

“Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with numerous HERD authors, reviewers, and editorial board members, all passionate about making contributions to the field of higher education.”

“I am pleased to be able to play a role in ensuring these articles are published and contributing to the continuing success of HERD as a leading academic forum that informs and challenges researchers, administrators, and policy-makers concerned with the past, present and future of higher education.”

At EIT, Pii-Tuulia teaches courses in sustainable organisations and research methods.

Gareth Allison, EIT’s Head of the School of Business, congratulated Pii-Tuulia on the award.

“Pii-Tuulia is one of our most prolific and active researchers and this award is a testament to the high regard with which she is held in the industry.”

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EIT pilot study into vaping among students extended beyond Hawke’s Bay | EIT Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

4 seconds ago

Left to Right: Melody Khan (Masters Student), Dr Sue Scott-Chapman (Secondary Supervisor), Associate Professor Anita Jagroop-Dearing (Principal Supervisor/Lead Researcher) and Associate Professor Rachel Forrest (Student Mentor).

An EIT research project addressing the epidemic of youth vaping among intermediate and high school students in Hawke’s Bay has been extended outside of the region following interest from a Bay of Plenty High School.

The extended out-of-region study titled ‘Vaping Landscape’ complements an existing study ‘Scoping solutions to address the epidemic of youth vaping in Aotearoa’ which is currently being conducted by a team led by Associate Professor Anita Jagroop-Dearing from EIT.

Vaping Landscape will focus on Pāpāmoa College and is being conducted by EIT Masters of Health Science student Melody Khan, who has been involved in the original study.

It is funded by a second grant from the Health Research Foundation Hawke’s Bay, which adds to the pool of funding for the project including grants from the Health Research Council and EIT.

Both studies hope to capture the stories, experiences and health awareness of e-cigarette vaping by youth. It will also make for a comparison of regional variations in vaping behaviours.

Anita says it will be the first comprehensive investigation into vaping among intermediate and high school students between two areas in New Zealand.

“We are working with a number of schools across Hawke’s Bay and additional funding has enabled the involvement of out-of-region schools.

“Pāpāmoa College approached us to say that they were experiencing issues to do with vaping in their school and that they would like to be a part of our study. After confirming the feasibility, obtaining the necessary ethics approval, and securing funding for an out-of-region school, we included them to conduct comparative studies.”

The college has more than 1700 students, of whom 28 percent are Māori and six percent are Pasifika.

 “Previous data indicated higher vaping rates among Māori and Pacific students compared to their non-Māori and non-Pacific peers. Therefore, we aim to compare the vaping behaviours in this school with those in Hawke’s Bay.”

Anita hypothesises that there may be regional differences between vaping behaviours in youth with distinctions in narrative of experiences and self-awareness.

Melody previously graduated with a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science at EIT. After being displaced due to Cyclone Gabrielle, she was able to pivot and extend this study for her masters.

“Initially I started with nutrition. My original masters thesis was nutrition and nutritional labelling, but when this opportunity opened up, I jumped on it because it’s something that’s going to need further research and is becoming more prevalent.”

Pāpāmoa College Deputy Principal (Tumuaki Katiriwā) Ben Ormsby says when they heard about the study, they thought why not reach out and see if they could be a part of it.

“Like most schools, we have been seeing an increase in vaping related incidents. Our rationale was that, while we are trying to find ways to educate students, we might as well volunteer to be part of the study.”

Ben says that the feedback from their community has been really positive about them being involved in the trial.

“We would suspect that whilst schools are struggling with youth vaping, the wider community is also seeing the impacts. The feedback to date would suggest the community is glad we are trying to do something about it.”

They are now looking forward to seeing what comes out of the study.

“If the information our students give forward contributes to something positive to tackle youth vaping, whether that be strategies or messaging then we thought it will be well worth it.”

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EIT says farewell to long-standing research director | EIT Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

14 mins ago

EIT is farewelling its Research Director Associate Professor Jonathan Sibley.

EIT has farewelled its long-standing Research Director, Associate Professor Jonathan Sibley, who has been at the forefront of driving research at the institute.

Jonathan, who joined EIT’s School of Business in 2016 and has headed EIT’s Research and Innovation Centre (RIC) since 2018, is retiring from the role to pursue other interests.

Together with former Executive Dean Natalie Waran, he led the push towards increasing grants for researchers at EIT and encouraging them to participate in the Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) process.

Jonathan says that a strong research culture was built at EIT under the direction of former Chief Executive Chris Collins.

“Chris, along with the then Executive Deans Susan Jacobs, Natalie and Professors Bob Marshall and Kay Morris Matthews, ensured that we were very research active in the ITP sector.”

“We built an enviable position for regional polytechnics in research and were able to establish a research centre with Te Kura i Awarua, to engage in research as a principle. Great thanks are owed to Professors David Tipene Leach and Annemarie Gillies for their leadership in the development of the Centre and our rangahau Māori capability.”

Jonathan says despite challenging times during COVID-19 and Cyclone Gabrielle, research has continued.

“We built a really strong, nationally recognised research culture with a number of researchers who had an international reputation.”

“As we move back to independence, we have an excellent platform for further developing our research culture.”

“EIT can also be proud that it hosts the largest number of international postgraduate students among New Zealand polytechnics,” says Jonathan, who also teaches and supervises students in the postgraduate business programmes.

EIT’s Executive Dean, Faculty of Commerce and Technology John West paid tribute to Jonathan for his professionalism and research leadership.

“Jonathan has led the evolution of the School of Business’ postgraduate studies. He has also played an important role in fostering research and mentoring our researchers.”

“We thank him for everything that he has contributed and wish him well in the future.”

Jonathan will continue teaching in the School of Business’ postgraduate programme on a part-time basis.

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Chinese experience stimulates EIT academic’s artistic research | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

16 mins ago

Anthony Chiappin, a Graphic Communications Senior Lecturer, is also the programme co-ordinator for EIT’s suite of design offerings.

The experience of teaching an EIT programme in Digital Communications to Chinese students has stimulated an IDEAschool lecturer’s artistic research.

Anthony Chiappin, a Graphic Communications Senior Lecturer, is  part of a team of three NZ Design lecturers that deliver EIT’s Bachelor of Creative Practice in China. His own qualifications are a Bachelor of Design and a Masters in Visual Art from Australia’s Monash University.

His dual focus these days is teaching EIT’s Bachelor of Creative Practice  at Zhejiang Yuexiu University (ZYU) in China, and into the domestic programmes in New Zealand. The Chinese teaching has consisted of firstly online and now over in China, face to face with the students.

It was during his visits to China that Anthony, who is originally from Australia, felt his creativity receive a new lease on life.

“I’ve had two stints in China, a total of four and a half months.”

The last one was just over two months with him returning home in late April.

Anthony, who has been at IDEAschool for 13 years and a researcher for even longer, says research is very important to him.

“I call it the sacred feather in the boa of continuation and connection with things that are important to your teaching, but also important to your career and to the work that you’re doing.”

“It’s been an amazing journey. While I was in China, I took the opportunity to do some artwork and I really ripped into it.  In the ZYU apartment I had room to work and it was the first studio that I’ve been able to work in since the cyclone.”

The work he produced there is his China “Episode” Series. He is hoping to get some funding to be able to exhibit the work in China next year.

Asked how Chinese taste in art differed from that in the West, Anthony said China has a very strong cultural base.

“Even in a contemporary sense. There’s a lot of dialogue around the state of China where it’s at currently, but there’s a lot of cultural significance within the work, whereas the Western model is quite different in that sense.”

He says his art form moves between figurative and abstract, with abstract currently taking hold.

“I call my paintings ‘Episodes’. I see them as an ongoing narrative, kind of like a comic book journey where I use superhero narratives within what I do, based on suburban mythologies.” This dialogue certainly comes to play a part within my teaching practice.”

“It was a fantastic eye-opener to be flung into the epicentre of a more provincial city like Shaoxing.”

A point of difference for this work is that he is using Chinese cardboard packing boxes with colourful motifs as the base for his paintings.

“It is quite powerful because the motifs are proudly ensconced within the work. I had worked on boxes in my master’s series years ago, but it just seemed like a natural fit to be able to grab these boxes from the supermarkets on campus, in particular, and use that as the basis to the work.”

“I used four of the paintings, where I call them ‘The Philosophers’. I was influenced by a lot of the works that I was seeing around Zhejiang province and Shanghai as well. But in particular, the beautiful ink paintings by some of the calligraphers and artists in that region from 200 years ago. It was a bit of a mishmash of all this influence being flung at me because China’s overwhelming.”

Anthony says that at present his main focus is China, be it writing, teaching or researching.

It has been a rewarding experience for him, as last year he won “The Overseas Teacher of the Year Award” along with seven other teachers in many other disciplines at the University.

Another project that he is particularly proud of is one involving his wife, Nikki Gabriel, who is a textile designer and holds a Masters of Art & Design from AUT and is a current PhD Candidate at RMIT University, Melbourne. Nikki has just had a book called Construction Knitting published by Bloomsbury Academic Press, London.

“It’s about designing, but knitwear design with geometric shapes is the premise to that. So it’s been an eight-year journey to get that to the point where it’s now published and out in the world.”

Anthony says he was responsible for the photographs and illustrations, with art direction and content by Nikki.

“That’s been a huge part of my research over many, many years. And now that it’s published, I can talk about it as a research project.”

Acting Head of EIT’s IDEAschool Sue Blackmore said: “EIT is encouraging  and supportive of the research endeavours of all EIT lecturers and Anthony’s new series of work inspired by his time in China is very exciting.“

“The team of Bachelor of Creative Practice and Bachelor of Computer Science lecturers that travel and work in Shaoxing are amazing ambassadors for EIT and NZ in China.”

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Top Researcher and Academic to become EIT Executive Dean, Faculty of Education, Humanities and Health Science | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

25 seconds ago

Dr Helen Ryan-Stewart is EIT’s new Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Health Science.

EIT has appointed a top researcher and sports scientist as its new Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Health Science.

Dr Helen Ryan-Stewart joined EIT from the University of Winchester in the United Kingdom in 2022. Initially appointed to the role of Assistant Head of the School of Health and Sport Science, Helen was soon made Acting Head of School following the secondment of Dr Ondene van Dulm, to Te Pūkenga.

She has been acting Dean since last year and will now lead the Faculty permanently.

Dr Ryan-Stewart says that she is humbled by the opportunity to be part of EIT’s decision-making body. She will also lead EIT’s cohort of researchers.

“I am ready to take up the challenge of leading this Faculty and supporting our talented educators and researchers.”

“EIT has some world class academics and researchers and this is a further opportunity to showcase their talents.”

“As the largest tertiary institute in the Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti region, we are uniquely positioned to provide ākonga with a quality education so that they can pursue the career of their choice.”

EIT Executive Director Kieran Hewitson welcomed Dr Ryan-Stewart to the EIT Executive, saying that she would add value to the team.

“Helen has proven her capabilities while acting as Dean. She is well regarded and works well with members of the faculty.”

“There is a lot of work ahead of us and it is good to have an executive made up of people of the calibre of Helen.”

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Research is not just a job requirement, but fundamental aspect of professional life, says EIT lecturer | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

April 16, 2024

Amr van den Adel

In this feature we interview staff members who have been identified as Early Career Researchers. In the spotlight is Amr van den Adel, a Senior Lecturer in the EIT School of Computing in Auckland.

What is your highest qualification and where and when did you finish it?

Doctor of Philosophy in Digital Forensics and Counterterrorism.

Are you currently completing any other post graduate programmes?

Yes, I am currently in my 2nd year working on my 2nd Doctor of Philosophy.

What is your role at EIT and what courses do you teach?

Senior Lecturer and I teach courses related to IT Concepts and Tools.

What areas do you specialise in?

Information Technology, Digital Forensics, Cybersecurity, Industry 5.0, Human-Centric solutions, Smart Education, Fog Computing, and Vulnerability Assessments.

What research have you been involved in either last year or this year (please give details)?

Last year, I was involved in research related to the Future of Industry 5.0 and its societal implications, focusing on human-centric solutions, challenges, and prospective research areas. This work was published in the Journal of Cloud Computing (2022), and Smart Cities Journal (2023) and has been cited 285 times since 2022 and 2023, indicating a significant impact in the field. Both journals as ranked as Q1 with high impact factor in the field. In addition, I published a conceptual framework to improve cyber forensic administration in Industry 5.0 at Forensic Sciences journal, which was another key research focus in 2022 and has received 8 citations. Since 2020, there has been a notable increase in the number of research publications in the field.

This year, I have continued my research on the convergence of different technologies in smart education, specifically looking at the transition from Industry 4.0 to 5.0, as indicated by a publication in Smart Cities journal (2024), which also has received a citation. The research details the roles of intelligent tutoring, robotics, and IoT in shaping smart education environments.

How important is research to you as an academic?

As an academic with a robust research profile, it’s clear that research is not just a job requirement, but a fundamental aspect of my professional life. My engagement in dynamic fields such as Cyber Security, Industry 5.0, Fog Computing, and Smart Education hints a deep commitment to advancing these critical areas of study. The significant citation counts of my publications, especially the influential work on the future of Industry 5.0, underscores my impactful contribution to contemporary scholarly conversations and technological progress. Moreover, with a consistent h-index and i10-index, my research has established me as a recognized and respected researcher within the academic community. This recognition is not only a testament to my scholarly dedication but also to my role in shaping the landscape of the field. Top of Form

How supportive is EIT in encouraging you to do research?

EIT has provided substantial support for my research endeavors, offering financial backing this year that has been instrumental in advancing my projects. Their assistance has also extended to increasing the visibility of my work within the wider academic community, thereby facilitating greater engagement with my research.

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EIT Business Studies graduand says being Valedictorian is a significant award | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

3 mins ago

Ashleigh Kearns-Steed, who will be graduating with a Bachelor of Business Studies (Management) next Friday, as been chosen as one of two Hawke’s Bay Valedictorians.

Ashleigh Kearns-Steed, who will be graduating with a Bachelor of Business Studies (Management) next Friday, says she was overcome with emotion when she was asked to be one of the two Hawke’s Bay valedictorians.

Not only is she graduating at one of two ceremonies at the Napier Municipal Theatre on Friday, 12 April, but she will also be Valedictorian. It is an honour she does not take lightly.

“Well, it’s a significant award for not just myself, but my whānau, as well as I will be the first Kearns walking across the stage.”

“It’s a true honour. I’m extremely grateful to be able to represent my whānau as well as all who are graduating from EIT. It means the world, trust me, I cried heaps.”

Graduation is the culmination of a time of studies full of achievements. Last year Ashleigh was selected for the prestigious Te Hononga-ā-Kiwa scholarship, which recognises excellence in Māori students. The scholarship is a Māori student of excellence award, which has seen chosen students previously travel to Chile, Taiwan, and Ecuador. Ashleigh attended last year’s rōpū in Columbia.

It has been a long journey for the 25-year-old Ashleigh, who left high school at about 15, worked in retail for about six years, before spending some time in Italy.

“I did not think that I had the knowledge, and I didn’t realise that there was a pathway for me, especially any kind of educational pathway without carrying on my high school education.”

“I did not believe that I had a career path there for me. That was until I got back from my overseas travel, a korero with my brother and partner was sparked; inspiring me to apply for my business degree.”

Ashleigh has nothing but praise for EIT and her lecturers.

“I started at EIT when COVID first kicked in, so all lectures were based on teams, online. So that was a bit of a struggle, due to never having the experience of using a laptop before. The teachers, the lecturers were very transparent that it was a new setup for them as well. Together, we all learned how we could best make it work for one another. And we did. I still remember my first day going onto campus, and feeling the appreciation for face-to-face learning, there is a significant difference between the two types of learning.”

“I’m extremely grateful for the time that I had at EIT. Many of my friends went to large universities, and I did not realise how privileged I was to be able to generate relationships with my lecturers instead of just learning from them. There was always open opportunity for us to have korero with our teachers and they made that known. They went above and beyond for me in many circumstances.”

Since graduating, life has got even better for Ashleigh as she is now working for Te Kura i Awarua, EIT’s Māori research unit.

“I love my job; I have new opportunities each week to network and gain knowledge of the culture we have here in Te Matau-a-Māui. I’m extremely grateful for the chance to continue my learning of Te Ao Māori and continue to make a difference in the world. I wish I could revisit myself as a young girl and tell her the story I have made for myself so far; I just know little Ashleigh would be just as proud of me as I am now.”

Next stop for Ashleigh is a Masters, with the ultimate goal being a PhD.

Russell Booth, Senior Lecturer and Programme Co-ordinator – Business at EIT, said: “Ashleigh is an exceptional young woman both on and off campus. Once she arrived at EIT she quickly got into her stride with excellent grades. Ashleigh’s compassion and care for her whānau and community is unbounded and this was displayed in the classroom with her fellow students.”

“Ashleigh epitomises everything of a strong, young wahine student at EIT. Her resilience is huge having overcome many personal challenges and issues and clearly demonstrated with where she is today.”

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Seed collection unearthed at EIT Hawke’s Bay Campus | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

19 mins ago

Environmental Management Lecturer Dr Glen Robertshaw with an expansive seed collection dating back to the late 70s.

More than 1000 seed samples dating back to the 70s have been unearthed at EIT Hawke’s Bay Campus in Taradale.

The collection features seed varieties of different sizes, shapes and colours from around the world.

Environmental Management Lecturer Dr Glen Robertshaw says it is a thing of beauty.

“As part of the unpacking and moving back into our building we have come across a curious wooden box with about 1000 seed samples from all around the world.”

Two index books that came with the collection provided the collector’s name A J England, and details of where the seeds came from between 1978 and 1984.

Robertshaw asked long serving staff members who knew nothing about it, and an internet search yielded nothing. With the name, he turned to the White Pages.

“I wanted to see if there were any Englands around in Hastings, so I looked through the White Pages and just rang a few people. Eventually his son, Darren England, rang me back.”

Darren England says he knew his father, who passed away in 2016, had donated the collection to EIT and after the floods, wondered what had happened to it.

“It’s nice to see the legacy is carrying on.”

A J England pictured in the 1980s in his office at Wrightson NMA Grain Store, Omahu Road. Photo/Supplied.

His father worked in the grain and seed industry and upon moving from Australia to Hawke’s Bay, ran the grain store for Wrightson NMA.

“I remember when we were young, we’d be driving somewhere, and he’d stop the car and jump a fence and grab some seeds off something. He was always on the lookout for odd seeds.”

Darren says his father made the wooden stands and case from scratch.

“I think it was too good to get rid of it and none of the family wanted it so he thought EIT could use it. He just wanted it to stay local I think.”

Horticulture and Environmental Management Lecturer Gerard Henry says the collection is “fairly unique”.

“I mean, it may not have been an untypical thing to have taken part in back in the 70s and even in the 80s. But for it to have survived and for us to find it now is pretty rare I’d say.”

Robertshaw, who teaches biosecurity and soil science courses, says the research opportunities are endless. He has also spoken to Massey University which has an extensive seed collection.

“We can do a lot from looking at the viability of the seeds after all this time to looking at DNA changes over time between varieties then and the varieties now. And at the very least it’s a teaching resource for us.”

EIT offers level 5 and 6 of the NZ Diploma in Environmental Management, as well as a Bachelor of Applied Science (Biodiversity Management).

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Rangatahi Māori create health and wellbeing guidelines aimed at youth | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

18 mins ago

Rangatahi involved in the Manaora Rangatahi Guidelines kaupapa at Waipatu Marae.

Rangatahi Māori in Hawke’s Bay have launched a health and wellbeing kaupapa that aims to reflect what resonates with today’s youth.

Manaora Rangatahi Guidelines, which were launched last Monday (March 4) at Waipatu Marae, is part of Nourishing Hawke’s Bay: He wairua tō te kai, a collaborative local project between Te Kura i Awarua Ranagahau Māori Research Centre at EIT | Te Pūkenga and the University of Auckland (UoA).

For the last year, these rangatahi Māori from four different high schools across the region worked on the guidelines, with the intention of encouraging their peers to prioritise their health and wellbeing.

The guidelines emphasise a balanced lifestyle that encompasses nutrition, physical activity, cultural awareness, and personal confidence.

One of the rangatahi involved, Ben Tu-Pairi Davies says it is about “encouraging rangatahi not to give up and to fight for their health and prioritise their wellbeing”.

It is being disseminated as a 20-week social media campaign, with each guideline dropping as a video featuring the rangatahi Māori behind the kaupapa and influencers; Tamati Rimene-Sproat, Pere Wihongi and Georgia Awatea Jones.

Rangatahi are encouraged to engage with the videos and create their own on different social media platforms to show how they are using the guidelines.

EIT Māori and Indigenous Research Professor, David Tipene-Leach says these guidelines are holistic and inclusive of environmental issues and may be the basis of the next generation of wellbeing.

The rangatahi looked at health guidelines from New Zealand and overseas, and applied mātauranga Māori to them. Then, they sought feedback from their peers at school before refining the messages.

“The Ministry of Health Guidelines are mostly irrelevant because they are narrow, authoritarian, and no one is really looking at them. Having youth refresh these principles with a te ao Māori approach is really new.”

Professor Boyd Swinburn says it has been an inspiring journey.

“These guidelines are really innovative, and I am really proud to show these around the world.”

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Youth-driven health initiative to spread crucial messages about nutrition | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

3 mins ago

Manaora Rangatahi Guidelines group filming at Aunty’s Garden in Hastings for a 20-week social media campaign.

A 20-week social media campaign, driven by rangatahi Māori aims to spread crucial messages about nutrition and well-being across New Zealand.

The Manaora Rangatahi Guidelines is part of Nourishing Hawke’s Bay: He wairua tō te kai, a collaborative local project between EIT | Te Pūkenga and University of Auckland (UoA).

The guidelines will feature as a 20-week social media campaign, launching on March 4, with influencers Tamati Rimene-Sproat, Pere Wihongi, Georgia Awatea Jones and local rangatahi.

Senior Research Fellow Dr Rachael Glassey, manager of Nourishing Hawke’s Bay, says the core of the project is about empowering youth with holistic health and well-being guidelines.

“It’s a project that the rangatahi have poured their hearts into, offering a fresh take on health that covers everything from eating well and staying active to keeping your mind healthy and staying connected with our culture.”

“These guidelines are about more than just health tips; they’re a blueprint for making real, positive changes in our lives, for everyone across New Zealand.”

Seventeen rangatahi from around Hawke’s Bay have been involved in the project since the middle of last year.

They looked at health guidelines from New Zealand and overseas, and applied mātauranga Māori to them. Then, they sought feedback from their peers at school before refining the messages.

“The current Ministry of Health guidelines don’t really resonate with young people. Our rangatahi participants added key aspects around mātauranga Māori and sustainability. The goal is to bridge these gaps and connect more meaningfully with youth,” Rachael says. 

Rangatahi Guideline project lead Raun Makirere-Haerewa says it is important to ensure the messages not only make sense to the rangatahi but that they buy into them.

“I think a big part of the level of engagement and excitement is from the fact that we’re putting the onus on them to create this. It’s not a template. They’ve come up with the work.” 

A wānanga was held over three days at Houngarea Marae last month, at which time the campaign content was shot.

Māori media personality, Tamati Rimene-Sproat, says he was happy to be involved with the kaupapa as it aligned with his values.

“It’s rangatahi led and rangatahi driven for rangatahi and that’s really important to me so when Raun reached out and asked if I was interested it made sense to me, and then I had actually done work with Professor Boyd Swinburn in the past, so when his name came up it gave a level of importance and value.”

New Zealand musician, voice actor and kapa haka composer and performer Pere Wihongi (Te Rarawa, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Kuri, Ngāti Wai) says she was honoured to help contribute.

Flaxmere College student Joseph Curtis says the experience has been “healing”.

Manaora Rangatahi Guidelines group at Houngarea Marae.

“I feel like I have connected more with my Māoritanga here. I feel like I am getting fitter, socialising more and eating healthier. I’m looking after myself, others and having a Māori input on almost everything I do.”

He says he will continue to support the kaupapa.

Ariki-Jaid Moke and Mikaera Rountree, who also attend Flaxmere College, say it has been an “eye-opener”.

“Before we came here, we didn’t really understand how important our health and well-being was. So this has helped us understand the importance of hauora and well-being,” Ariki-Jaid says.

Professor Boyd Swinburn says it has been a journey, and they are interested to see how it unfolds further.

“We’ve got a longer term vision on this, but exactly how are we going to get there is a bit uncertain. We’re just going to follow the kids and let them guide us.”