STEM Student creates educational science resources shaped by te ao Māori and showcases opportunities at Te Kawa a Māui

Tere Porter-Rawiri (Te Ātiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Mutunga), a master's student and Research Assistant at Te Kawa a Māui, has written new educational resources for secondary school students, which are publicly available on the Science Learning Hub website.

Tere moved to Te Whanganui-a-Tara in late 2022 to study a Master of Science degree in Ecology and Biodiversity. Although based at the School of Biological Sciences, Tere quickly found connections and opportunities at Te Kawa a Māui with the help of her co-supervisor Sara Belcher (Te Kawa a Māui alumna).

Student with casual attire and glasses talking with another student standing in front of a marae.

Sara connected Tere with Associate Professor Ocean Mercier and Research Fellow Symon Palmer to work part-time as a Research Assistant on a National Science Challenge: BioHeritage Project. The research project gauges Māori views on novel pest-control tools like RNA interference (gene silencing).

Tere's highlight was creating seven educational resources centered around RNA interference. In this project she collaborated with external organizations, like the Science Learning Hub, and extracted key ideas from the research. Presenting the rangahau in this way enhanced her science communication skills and built new professional connections.

“Based on my own experiences, I would have found these resources valuable as a Māori student studying NCEA Biology. The resources help students grasp the importance of cultural concepts in science and complex issues, such as novel gene technologies for pest control and considerations for te ao Māori perspectives.”

After starting as a Research Assistant at Te Kawa a Māui, Tere enrolled in MAOR408 - ‘Tā Te Māori Rangahau / Methodology of Māori Research’ which explores kaupapa Māori methodology and research ethics. Her master’s programme, like many postgraduate degrees, offered flexibility to enroll in a paper from another faculty, greatly benefiting her interdisciplinary thesis project.

“MAOR408 has been fundamental in my approach to research, fostering critical thinking across my studies.”

Tere’s message to new students is that Te Kawa a Māui provides a welcoming environment for Māori students from other disciplines, creating a supportive place for all.