Joint Centre for Disaster Research<\/p>\n\n\n\n
M\u0101ori communities are uniquely placed to respond to, and support recovery from, natural disasters. As an example, following the 22 February 2011 Canterbury earthquake, the nationalised M\u0101ori earthquake recovery network was established in a hui at R\u0113hua Marae during the first 24 hours after the earthquake. Within 48 hours, the response was up and running \u2014 faster than the mainstream response. \u2018There are lessons that can be learned from that communitarian approach,\u2019 said Associate Professor Christine Kenney from the Joint Centre for Disaster Research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The focus of Associate Professor Kenney\u2019s research is M\u0101ori disaster risk reduction, which encompasses emergency management, climate change and resilience. Her work is shaped by kaupapa M\u0101ori research principles, and is community-led by, and involves collaboration with, M\u0101ori research partners. \u2018It\u2019s much better to have cultural insiders driving the research because there are subtleties in terms of how knowledges are understood, and it means that we can simultaneously facilitate new Western European science and m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori [M\u0101ori knowledge]. M\u0101ori community partners are experts in interweaving the two forms of knowledge \u2014 getting them to talk to each other.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In regards to engagement with tangata whenua (people of the land), she added \u2018I think fieldwork for us as disaster specialists is an important element. I\u2019m not someone who sits in the office and does it from a distance, and I don\u2019t think the sort of work that I\u2019ve been involved in should be done this way. People on the ground usually know what the issues are, so a bit of listening goes a long way.\u2019 However, she emphasises, this approach takes time. \u2018When you\u2019re working in te ao M\u0101ori, it takes longer because of building relationships which continue after the research is completed. You can\u2019t just go in and grab what you want and run, there are responsibilities around respect and relationships which underpin what\u2019s really important, and you need to get it right.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Associate Professor Kenney pointed out that there is currently a significant global focus on the strength of indigenous approaches to climate change and disaster risk reduction. Pleasingly, she sees this becoming better acknowledged at home, as well. Following the Canterbury earthquakes, for example, her research team\u2019s documentation of the M\u0101ori response was published by the United Nations, and has become known as best-practice science. Here in New Zealand, she was recently asked to contribute a piece on resilience and te ao M\u0101ori to the government\u2019s National Disaster Resilience Strategy, a document that outlines the vision and long-term goals for civil defence emergency management.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Associate Professor Kenney is currently involved in a variety of research projects in the area of M\u0101ori disaster risk reduction and resilience. These include two Marsden-funded projects, one on M\u0101ori emergency management and a second exploring power politics in Canterbury. She is also driving two projects funded by the National Science Challenges, the first in the area of iwi disaster resilience planning and the second a broader project looking at the regeneration, recovery, and resilience of M\u0101ori communities longer-term. Both projects are situated in the Bay of Plenty and will consider the impacts of the Whakaari eruption and the context of Covid-19 on local hap\u016b (subtribe) and wh\u0101nau (family). She is also involved with the expansion of QuakeCoRE, the New Zealand Centre for Earthquake Resilience, which works to improve how communities recover and thrive after major earthquakes. Her focus is on developing a new m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori component for the centre, which will involve research projects that are agreed on by M\u0101ori communities, respond to community needs, and are carried out by M\u0101ori researchers in M\u0101ori ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At a broader level, Associate Professor Kenney is involved with fostering other M\u0101ori research and researchers. In March she became an EQC Fellow and has been awarded funding to set up a national indigenous risk and resilience research centre at Massey. She is also a member of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment\u2019s Te P\u016bnaha Hihiko: Vision M\u0101tauranga Capability Fund assessment panel, which awards grants to projects developed with M\u0101ori. Finally, she is involved with Te Rau Puawai, a Massey programme founded over 20 years ago by Sir Mason Durie, that provides wrap around support for M\u0101ori students who are enrolled in a Massey University qualification in a field relevant to M\u0101ori mental health. \u2018I would like to think that the work that I\u2019m doing is going to make a difference for my people,\u2019 she says. \u2018However, for me, the broader picture is a resilient nation, where everyone is involved in bringing their strengths to the table.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR CHRISTINE KENNEY Ng\u0101i Tahu, Te \u0100tiawa ki Whakarongotai, Ng\u0101ti Toarangatira Joint Centre for Disaster Research M\u0101ori communities are uniquely placed to respond to, and support recovery from, natural disasters. As an example, following the 22 February 2011 Canterbury earthquake, the nationalised M\u0101ori earthquake recovery network was established in a hui at R\u0113hua Marae … Continue reading M\u0101ori disaster risk reduction and emergency management<\/span>