Utaina! Pathing a way for te reo in science research

The Dodd-Walls Centre is proud to have supportedUtaina! 2023, the inaugural biennial symposium aimed at promoting and encouragingthe use of te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori in research last month.

The event featured presentations oneverything from principles of mātauranga Māori for high performance outcomes inenvironmental science to a multilingual language platform grounded inIndigenous knowledge and cutting-edge data science.

The final session of the day, a paneldiscussion between university staff and students on assessment in te reo Māori,was an excellent addition to the event. It was great to see students passionatelyvoicing their support for increasing the number of Māori staff and theavailability of resources that support learning in te reo Māori.

The diverse range of subjects presentedprovided for an enriching experience. It was a privilege to be a part of theday and witness such a great turnout of passionate scholars from a wide rangeof disciplines.

Ngā mihi nui to the organisers of Utania!Alana Alexander, Arianna Nisa-Waller, Inga Smith, Julia Wilson and Terry Scott,and to those who shared their knowledge with us on the day, Georgina Stewart,Hare Rua, Ihirangi Heke, Te Hiku Media, Gianna Leoni, Toni Hoeta, RauhinaScott-Fyfe and Anne-Marie Jackson.

We look forward to seeing the impact thatthe symposium will have in the coming years, and of course, attending Utaina!2025.