Māori science

Māori science also called Te Pūtaiao Māori (literally Māori knowledge of the natural world), is an academic discipline at the intersection of Western science and mātauranga Māori (literally Māori knowledge or traditional knowledge of the Māori people). Māori science is practiced by the Māori people, the indigenous people of New Zealand. As a result of separation from the other nations, the Māori developed their own culture and knowledge system. Mātauranga Māori has only recently gained recognition by the scientific community because it previously was perceived as a "myth and legend, fantastic and implausible". Largely a product of Māori Renaissance of the later 20th and early 21st centuries, most Māori science is project-based with science-based organisation partner with iwi organisations and typically government funding. Outputs typically include traditional scientific outputs (i.e. articles in peer reviewed journals) as well as concrete benefits for iwi. Examples include:

• Geothermal toxicity in food: NIWA / Te Arawa Lakes Trust.
• Identifying novel antimicrobial compounds: Victoria University of Wellington / Ngāpuhi / Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara.

Māori science is taught at a tertiary level at Victoria University of Wellington and Canterbury University.

Women in Māori Science

The prejudice against Māori women scientists today derives from historical attitudes and concepts of Enlightenment science. Māori people, women in particular, lack recognition in the field of science despite their notable influence.

One notable woman was Wahakaotirangi, whose name translates to "completion from the sky". As one of New Zealand's first scientists, Wahakaotirangi brought kumara to the Waikato region. When in Waikato, Wahakaotirangi built gardens in which she experimented with growing edible and medicinal plants, in particular studying how to make the kumara grow in its cooler climate. This was an essential innovation for the Tainui people of Waikato, as it provided them a reliable and sustainable source of food. Wahakaotirangi was also a part of the invention and launch of the Tainui canoe.

Another notable woman was Pirongia-te-aroaro-ō-Kahu, or more commonly known as Kahupeka. Following her husband's death and her own illness, she journeyed across King Country and studied the medicinal uses of native plants such as harakeke, koromiko, kawakawa, and rangiora. Kahupeka's experiments helped the Māori people towards properly utilizing hundreds of different medicinal plants.

Other notable women in the field of Māori science are Makereti Papakura, who wrote a thesis on the Māori people, and Rina Winifred Moore, the first female Maori doctor in New Zealand. The Royal Society Te Apārangi also identifies 150 women and their notable contributions to New Zealand in the field of science.

Impact of Colonization

Māori society refers to its traditional experts in healing as tohunga. Tohunga were often the only source of medicinal knowledge and education in Māori culture. The New Zealand Parliament passed the Tohunga Suppression Act in 1907 which made tohunga practices illegal and punishable by fines or imprisonment. The Tohunga Suppression Act was finally repealed in 1962 under the Māori Community Development Act. Although it caused in part the erasure of Māori knowledge and science, the legislation failed at large. The New Zealand Government's intent was to inhibit traditional practices, yet the Māori people remained faithful to tohunga.

Impact on New Zealand

Māori science had major impacts on New Zealand. For example, Wahakaotirangi’s innovations in agriculture ensured the formation and survival of the Tainui people. This influence persists, and is seen in such cases as the New Zealand Department of Conservation’s Biodiversity Strategy, which states that by 2020, “traditional Māori knowledge, or matauranga Māori, about biodiversity is respected and preserved and informs biodiversity management”.