Master's Research Scholarship for Research on Māori Political Participation and Māori Data Sovereignty

History and purpose

This scholarship is part of a Te Apārangi Royal Society Rutherford Discovery Fellowship (RDF) project 'More than the 3 Ps: Enhancing Participation in Politics, Policy, the Public Sphere, and Political Science'. Research shows us that Aotearoa New Zealand’s political system marginalises different groups, including Māori. Systemic and structural barriers can block Māori groups and individuals from fully participating in the areas of public policy and politics, such as restricted access to information, harassment, or racism.

This project brings together knowledge in political science, data science, and Māori data sovereignty to find new ways to remove barriers, and enable and encourage political participation. The exact topic of the research is to be determined in consultation with the project lead, but will fall under these general subject areas.

Who is Eligible?

Applicants must:

• Be currently enrolled or intending to enrol in a Master’s degree by thesis worth 90 points or more.
• Be of Māori descent
• Have a research topic that focuses on Māori political participation and/or Māori data sovereignty.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be assessed on:

• the basis of demonstrated connections to or experience working with Māori communities on similar kaupapa
• having an academic background which aligns well with the research project
• an expressed interest in the research area
• academic merit

Application  process

Please send the scholarship specific documentation to Associate Professor Lara Greaves (lara.greaves@vuw.ac.nz).

Scholarship specific documentation

• A cover letter introducing yourself, your whakapapa, background, experience and interest in these topics
• CV
• An academic transcript

Selection process

The successful recipient will be selected by Associate Professor Lara Greaves.

Additional Information

The tenure is for one year and will be paid out for the year in which the student is enrolled in their thesis course.

The scholarship stipend will be paid to the recipient in monthly instalments. The first such payment will be made by the Scholarships Office as soon as practicable after confirmation of enrolment. Thesis tuition fees will be paid directly to the University by the Scholarships Office. International students will be liable to pay the difference between the full international student fee and the domestic fee.

Conditions

1. All offers of the Scholarship will be conditional upon the recipient being enrolled in a full-year programme (as stipulated by Studylink as full-time), within the criteria and tenure of the scholarship. No payment of the Scholarship will be made until this condition is met.
2. Where part-time study for the recipient is approved, their scholarship award may be pro-rated. This decision will be made by the decision-making panel. Before the recipient decides to reduce their workload from full-time study, this must be discussed with the Scholarships Office
3. The Scholarship cannot be deferred to a later year.
4. The Scholarship may be held in conjunction with other University awards.
5. Should the recipient withdraw from Victoria University of Wellington during the tenure of this scholarship or fail to achieve a satisfactory progress, partial repayment of the Scholarship will normally be expected. Recipients must advise the Scholarships Office if they intend to withdraw.
6. At the discretion of the Deciding Authority, the application of the terms and conditions of the Scholarship may be modified in special circumstances or to avoid hardship to any candidate for the Scholarship.

Contact

Scholarships Office
scholarships-office@vuw.ac.nz
Phone 0800 04 04 04