Massey University

Ko Hikurangi te Maunga, Ko Waiapu te Awa, Ko Ngāti Porou te Iwi, Ko te Whānau a Pōkai te Hapū, Ko Te Kapa o Hinekōpeka te Tūrangawaewae, Ko Pōkai te Marae, Ko Pōhatu te Wharekai. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā rā tātou katoa.

My main accomplishments to-date are my five children and (so far) eight mokopuna.

I am a senior lecturer/researcher in education with a main focus on mathematics education in relation to kaupapa and mātauranga Māori in kura. 

My teaching career began in 1992 in a bilingual class, and carried on to teaching in rūmaki units, kōhanga reo, kura and wharekura. My tertiary teaching career began at Victoria University where I spent eight years mainly focusing on maths education and education for Māori. I moved to Massey University after spending six and a half years lecturing in teacher education at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, some masters classes, and some adult numeracy and te reo Māori teaching for bridging-to-nursing students. My main focus at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi was teaching Pāngarau/maths and integration of curriculum area teaching and learning that centralises kaupapa and mātauranga Māori.  

My PhD explored the relationships that kura communities have with mathematics education with a view to ensuring that kura have emancipated decision-making power to determine how kaupapa and mātauranga Māori are equitably privileged with kaupapa and mātauranga mathematics.

The overarching theme of my research is understanding the composition, distribution and evolutionary history of New Zealand’s unique ecosystems. My primary focus is the rich, and largely endemic, marine mollusc fauna. However, I apply my broadly ranging expertise in genomics, ecology and evolutionary biology, to a diverse range of research topics involving New Zealand’s biodiversity, both native and exotic.

As a Māori scientist, I am increasingly focused on research collaborations with iwi/hapu. These projects generally involve working with Māori communities to build capacity and generate data that will inform enhanced kaitiakitanga.

Natasha Tassell-Matamua is a senior lecturer in the School of Psychology at Massey University, where she teaches in the area of cultural psychology. Her research platform encompasses two primary threads: Indigenous Psychology with a focus on mātauranga Māori as it relates to: ethics, spirituality, well-being, and the environment - and also Exceptional Human Experiences with a particualr focus on near-death experiences [NDEs].