Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga

Jacinta Ruru is a Professor of Law at the University of Otago. Her research has focused on exploring Indigenous peoples' legal rights to own, manage and govern land and water including national parks and minerals in Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada, United States, Australia and the Scandinavia countries.

She has led, or co-led, several national and international research projects including on the Common Law Doctrine of Discovery, Indigenous peoples’ rights to freshwater and multidisciplinary understandings of landscapes and writes for several legal publishers including Adams’ Land Transfer and edit the Brookers Maori Legislation Handbook. 

Wiremu coordinates the publication processes of AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, as well as contributing to other publishing projects at Ngā Pāe o te Māramatanga.

Wi holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Brigham Young University–Hawaii, and a Bachelor of Human Biology from the University of Auckland.  He also holds a Diploma in Applied Science (Animal Biology) from the University of Waikato, and a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Secondary) from the University of Auckland.

Wi has previously worked in cultural tourism, and in all levels of education from kōhanga reo, through primary and secondary schooling, and on to the tertiary sector.  He was previously the Māori science tutor for the Student Learning Centre and an IC Consultant at Te Tumu Herenga, University of Auckland.

Paora is Kaihautu Tikanga (Te reo me ngā tikanga Māori leader) at NPM and also a Professional Teaching Fellow at the Department of Māori Studies, University of Auckland where he lectures in Kapahaka, Traditional & Contemporary Māori Performing Arts and Te Reo Māori. 

He has had a significant career in kapahaka as well as traditional and contemporary Māori performing arts, including areas of performing, teaching/training, directing, judging as well as choreography and composition within this indigenous genre of dance.

Paora has also spent 30 years developing, teaching and promoting the art of Māori weaponry, empowering thousands of students both nationally and internationally within the ceremonial, performing and fighting art that is Mau Rakau.

He is a past CEO of Hoani Waititi Marae and also of Te Whare Tu Taua o Aotearoa Inc, has fulfilled a number of consultancy and advisory roles nationally and has performed, spoken and taught at a large number of international and national events.

Paora is the current leader of the cultural group Te Ropū Manutaki, and fulfils an ongoing role judging regional, national and international Kapahaka competitions.

Marie-Chanel Berghan looks after the financial, contract and operations (physical resources and infrastructure) management of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga. As well as managing the publications, specifically the two NPM Journals; AlterNative and MAI Journal. Marie-Chanel has a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration and in Business, Māori Development.  Before joining the centre, she was the Whakapiki Ake Project Manager at The University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences for five years and prior to that, a Project Administration Manager at Hewlett Packard. 
 

Honorine Franswah assists with all the administrative functions of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, including the Centre’s reception and secretarial duties.  Honorine obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Madras and brings substantial administrative experience from nearly 20 years involvement in the manufacturing sector in India.  More recently she provided administrative support at The University of Auckland prior to taking up her role at the Centre.