The Māori and Indigenous programme (MAI) is for the enhancement of Māori and Indigenous post-graduate students throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. This national network of key sites forms an integral part of Te Pae Whakatairanga Hiranga, the Capability Building programme of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga.

The programme’s origins go back to the 1990s when Professors Graham and Linda Smith began regular mentoring sessions for Māori post-graduate students at The University of Auckland. While similar initiatives were under development in other parts of the country, it was the establishment of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga as a Centre of Research Excellence in 2002 and the guidance of Professor Linda Smith that has facilitated the development of Te Kupenga o MAI, the national network.

Objectives

• Facilitate transitions across different levels of the tertiary education system.
• Increase the number of earned research degrees; qualified and skilled researchers; and quality academic teachers and supervisors.
• Establish and maintain a national network of Māori doctoral students and researchers.
• Enhance institutional infrastructures to strengthen the capacity for Māori and indigenous development research.
• Strengthen the capacity of researchers and Māori communities to engage with and learn from one another.
• Facilitate national and international networking and collaboration.
• Support the development of career and leadership-related skills.
• Foster the development of policy formation and policy implementation skills.

Strategies

• A support and mentoring programme for individuals through the national MAI network; facilitating the development of research capability and capacity through curriculum links, infrastructure and strategic planning.
• Courses, seminars, lectures, conferences, retreats and workshops that are specifically designed for pre-doctoral through to post-doctoral levels and beyond.
• A system of grants and fellowships that ranges through all levels of the programme.
• Career and leadership training.
• International study and research opportunities.