Tēnā koutou,
Ko Jorja Heta tōku ingoa.
I hail from Te Tai Tokerau and am of Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa and Te Aupōuri descent. I am currently based in Tāmaki Makaurau completing my undergraduate degree in a BA/LLB.
Research to me is a powerful avenue to be critical. To unpack and dismantle western theories and breathe new life into Indigenous stories. Sourcing the wisdom of our Tūpuna that informs us to move backwards into the future. Ka mua, ka muri. I enter this space with the hope to examine our political climate from an intersectional lens and shed some insights for hapori Māori. Our research can leave legacies. and when I think of trailblazers in our histories such as Linda Tuhiwai Smith and Moana Jackson, putting pen to paper can inform future decision-making. I hope it does, at least for one person. From my whakaaro, that’s what transformation feels like. An internal awakening within ourselves alongside an external shift of systems. You cannot have one without the other. I guess that’s the brilliant duality of existence and why we have obligations to share knowledge that is tika, in the right way.
