Our Whare & Their Whare

A unique and immersive experience designed to create meaningful connections between health researchers, rangatahi, and Māori and Pasifika whānau. Students will be welcomed into their whare—universities and research spaces across Aotearoa—where they can explore cutting-edge health research and technology, meet researchers, ask questions, and discover potential pathways into health, science, research, and innovation. These visits also provide researchers with valuable opportunities to engage directly with rangatahi and their whānau, listen to their perspectives, and better understand the health priorities and aspirations of their communities.

Likewise, health researchers will be invited to visit our whare—our kura, community spaces, and places of belonging—to support teaching and learning, showcase health technologies, and make research more accessible and relevant to our people. Through this reciprocal exchange, researchers and communities can learn from one another, strengthen relationships, and work together to ensure future health research and innovation are culturally relevant, community-informed, and responsive to the needs of Māori and Pasifika whānau. These experiences will help inspire and empower rangatahi while supporting them to see themselves as future leaders, researchers, health professionals, and contributors to the wellbeing of their communities.

Participants will strengthen their ability to apply a Te Tiriti lens to their work, embedding these principles into research planning, engagement processes, and organisational practice. Through practical discussion and reflection, the workshops examine how meaningful partnerships with Māori communities can be fostered, how Māori rights and aspirations can be upheld, and how culturally responsive approaches can contribute to more equitable outcomes.

The series also deepens participants' understanding of Māori data sovereignty and the governance of Māori data, providing practical tools and approaches that support accountability, participation, and shared decision-making. By translating principles into practice, participants will build the confidence and capability to create lasting, positive change within their organisations and alongside Māori communities.