Ngāi Tahu Research Centre | Kā Waimaero
The Ngāi Tahu Research Centre (NTRC) was founded for the purpose of being a leader in indigenous scholarship and to provide a centre for the intellectual capital and development of Ngāi Tahu, the principal Māori iwi of the southern region of New Zealand. The NTRC was established in August 2011 as a joint initiative between Ngāi Tahu and the University of Canterbury.
The Ngāi Tahu Research Centre is best defined by reference to its dual mission statements, which are:
- To create intellectual capital and leadership able to lead and support tribal development.
- To establish the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre as the foremost indigenous Research Centre in New Zealand and the Pacific with strong links to the principal institutions that lead indigenous scholarship and development.
The centre's priorities are supporting postgraduate students and producing high-quality research in indigenous studies. The NTRC has two key areas of research focus: historical, specifically the social, cultural, political, legal and economic factors of colonial and modern Ngāi Tahu and Māori experience; and contemporary, focusing on socio-economic development and environmental sustainability for Ngāi Tahu, Māori and the global indigenous community.
