The new five-year-long, funded project, is called ‘Our research futures: Indigenous pathways for research in higher education,’ and was recently awarded $499,993 CAD ($613,488 NZD) by Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council through the Insight Grant programme.
The project will explore how university systems internationally are adapting to fully support Indigenous ways of knowing. The global team of ‘Our research futures’ will work to create concrete frameworks to support the success, wellbeing, and sustainability of Indigenous scholars and researchers within academic environments, and across disciplines.
Over the next five years, with multilingual work in te reo Māori, Mi’kmaw, and Nahuatl, alongside English and French, the research will support international gatherings and multimedia productions and translations, youth and digital learning resources, mentorship, and new publications.
Dr Mike Ross from Te Kawa a Māui and Associate Professor Brian Diettrich from New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī will lead the project on behalf of Te Herenga Waka.
“I’m excited about learning from and working with other Indigenous peoples to build stronger and more resilient pathways for Māori researchers. Kāpuia te kākaho—our unity is our strength,” says Dr Mike Ross.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Māori and Kaitiakitanga) Professor Rawinia Higgins from Te Herenga Waka is proud to celebrate this collaboration between Indigenous researchers. “It is wonderful to see this joint research project emerge, the fruit of connection over the past few years. We look forward to working together to create a pipeline encouraging new Indigenous voices to join us and add to Indigenous-led research.”
The partnership connects researchers across Canada, Mexico, and Aotearoa, guided by a team of Indigenous leaders and allies. As well as Dr Ross and Associate Professor Diettrich, the Wellington team includes Canada’s High Commissioner to New Zealand, His excellency Keith Smith, who brings expertise in international diplomacy and Indigenous rights frameworks.
The Canadian team based in CBU is led by Professor Marcia Ostashweski, Director of the Centre for Sound Communities and Professor of Ethnomusicology, Laurianne Sylvester, Dean of Unama’ki College, and Starr Paul, Assistant Professor of Mi’kmaq Studies. Each of these academics has spent time at Te Herenga Waka and in Wellington over the past few years.
This partnership builds on the 2025 memorandum of understanding between Te Herenga Waka and CBU.
Associate Professor Brian Diettrich says, “This project centres responsibility to researchers, their stories and experiences, as key to reshaping the academic sector for the the future.
“This Canadian partnership offers a new pathway for funding for New Zealand scholars, including in the humanities and social sciences.”
Professor Sally McArthur, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) of Te Herenga Waka congratulates the team, and says, “I look forward very much to see the fruits of this collaboration. It is fantastic to see countries working together on getting funding and creating such valuable resources together.”