Wānanga Celebrates Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

Reverend Dr Hone Te Rire has received a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

The Postdoctoral Research Fellowship is an academic award to develop further the kaupapa laid out in his reo doctoral thesis Te Pāriha o Pūtauaki, which he completed at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi in 2025. 

His research focuses on the interrelationship between te reo, cultural identity, and scripture as a foundation for community resilience in the face of environmental risk.   

He explains that the fellowship acknowledges research that was born from the reo speaking communities of Maungapōhatu and Pūtauaki, for the wellbeing of the people.   

“Our tīpuna and successive generations were intimately connected with the land, forest, rivers, and mountains.  

“Through language, scripture, and whakapapa, we aim to restore that relationship so that our reo speaking communities will stand with strength in the face of present and future environmental challenges, including climate change.”  

Made possible through the vision of Professor Taiarahia Black, the successful fellowship application submitted under MBIE’s Natural Hazards and Resilience Platform Capability Retention Funding recognises te reo Māori as a vital cornerstone in research centred on the environment, whānau, hapū, iwi, and marae. 

As part of this new initiative, Integrating Indigenous Knowledge for Natural Hazard Resilience, Dr Te Rire will serve as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Awanuiārangi from 2025 to 2026, and will work alongside Professor Taiarahia Black. 

Professor Black explains how the fellowship will explore the five strands of Dr Te Rire’s research:  

• cultural loss through climate-induced migration 
• biodiversity protection through oral tradition and Māori medicinal research 
• strengthening Māori leadership in environmental governance 
• restoring language memory  
• ecological knowledge 

“At its core is a guiding principle: weaving all these dimensions into a policy framework grounded in the marae wānanga, oral histories, curriculum design, and digital systems to carve a future-ready pathway for the responses of the next generation. 

“This research is timely as communities in both Maungapōhatu and Pūtauaki, along with other communities across the motu, are constantly experiencing adverse flooding of their tīpuna rivers, streams, and low-lying flat land. This causes erosion that damages the ecology and wāhi tapu places.  

“The fellowship positions Dr Te Rire’s work as an urgent cultural and environmental response, empowering communities to reclaim tīpuna knowledge as a shield against increasing climate change disruptions.” 

In addition to Professor Black’s vision, Dr Te Rire’s work has been enriched over the past seven months through conversations with Mr Richard Tumarae (Ngā Toenga – Maungapōhatu Marae Chair), Te Ata Heurea Marae Trustee Reverend Tamiana Thrupp (Moderator of Te Aka Puahou, Hāhi Perehipitiriana), and Dr Cary Clarke of Awanuiārangi Research.