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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Panui ...


 The Sir Hugh Kawharu Masters Scholarship
for Innovation in Science

Closing date for applications: 31 August 2012

INFORMATION AND APPLICATION FORM
Background and terms of the Kawharu Scholarship
Scope and purposes of the Kawharu Fellowship
One of the core objectives of the Sir Hugh Kawharu Foundation is to support emerging Māori leadership, including in the sciences. For further information about the Foundation and its objectives, see www.kawharufoundation.org.

The Sir Hugh Kawharu Masters Scholarship for Innovation in Science (the Scholarship) comprises a grant of $10,000 per year for up to two years.  In addition, the Foundation will appoint an academic mentor for each Scholarship recipient for the duration of his or her studies.

The purpose of the Scholarship is to support and encourage masters level study by Māori in the sciences.  The Scholarship is applicable across a broad range of science disciplines including the physical, mathematical and computational, earth, environment, marine, social, health, biological, biomedical, human, and behavioural sciences.  The Scholarship is offered by the Foundation with assistance from the Royal Society of New Zealand.  

Criteria for selection
Consistent with the Foundation’s objectives, applicants will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
·         academic excellence and the potential to succeed in the chosen area of study;
·         leadership ability and integrity, including the respect of peers; and
·         potential contribution of the field of science to Māori social and/or economic development.
In addition, the Scholarship is:
·         for full-time enrolment in a one or two year masters degree in a science discipline; and
·         tenable by persons of Māori descent and applicants should be able to explain their tribal connections.
 Report
Each Scholarship recipient will be required to provide a progress report to the Foundation after completion of the first six months of his or her studies.

Other terms
The Scholarship will be awarded by the trustees of the Sir Hugh Kawharu Foundation and their decision will be final.  The trustees may suspend or terminate a Scholarship if they receive an unsatisfactory report from the relevant academic institution on the recipient’s progress or if the recipient otherwise conducts him or herself in a manner that would bring the Scholarship or the Foundation into disrepute.
The Scholarship may be co-tenured with other grants.  Unless the trustees otherwise agree, the Scholarship will be taken up in the year(s) for which it is granted.  Payment will be made by cheque or direct deposit prior to commencement of the recipient’s studies.

Applications
Applications should be made using the form set out below.  The closing date for applications for the 2013 academic year is 31 August 2012. 

Applications should be typed.  Please follow the instructions on the form carefully.  Shortlisted candidates will be contacted within 6 weeks of the closing date in order to make arrangements for a selection interview.

The Sir Hugh Kawharu Foundation
PO Box 2189
Shortland Street
AUCKLAND 1140

He aitua ... RIP Elinor Ostrom

I just remarked to a friend the other day that you know you're getting old when a famous rockstar - famous across the times you've lived - dies and you know they're dead as soon as you see their name in a news headline.

And so Elinor Ostrom takes her leave.

She spoke at last years 'Sharing the Power' conference in Whakatane. For those not familiar with the korero on the 'Whakatane' and Wairaka (who saved one of my waka), track it down as it is worthy of weaving about the achievements of Elinor.

Anyways, a picture, and some comments.
Aroha Mead and Elinor Ostrom, Sharing the Stage/Sharing the Power, Whakatane, 2011
Elinor is the only wahine to have won a Nobel in Economics in 2009 (yes, I know that there technically isn't a Nobel in economics, a korero that serves to prove my point).


Our conception of Re-Indigenising Humanity (which we presented at SoP) embodies exactly those economic concepts articulated by Elinor. While a simple click through will enlighten, I offer again our approach which is grounded in Indigenous approaches while accepting great value in the approaches of non-Indigenous peoples (we are all so interconnected that pretending otherwise seems intellectually inept...)

Ultimately, the one thing we have in common is being indigenous to this planet. Therefore, we seek to:
  • Re-establish holistic interpretations of life processes.
  • Re-focus our relationships with each other and our surrounding lifeworlds.
  • Support like-minded individuals and communities.
  • Work towards the practical implementation of what we learn.

Just as Wairaka saved Mataatua, Elinor is one of those who has dedicated her life and work to saving Spaceship Earth. She will continue to inspire from beyond the grave. Nice.  


(RIP Teofilo Stevenson too)

Monday, June 11, 2012

Balancing Innovation and Tradition?

Through the wondrous ways of the world wide web, I linked into a blog on innovation that seems to have emanated from the recent 'Transiting Venus' hui on the East Coast. Being quite partial to a good debate on innovation, I delved in, or is it on, and must confess to being rather disappointed at the pitiful start...


"For a start, put aside labels like “Maori” – we are all just “people”. Many traditions are made to be broken – they are anchoring us to the past. Remember the past, but don’t dwell in it. To achieve progress, boundaries must be pushed, old ideas thrown out or built upon. “Traditional” doesn’t mean “perfect”; change is sometimes required."


This from someone called 'ShadowMind'. For many Maori, this is the sort of conversation that somewhere includes, "I'm not racist, but..."


Anyways, I added my thoughts and awaited, with baited breath, for my post to appear like a wee fly struck in the proverbial www. Unfortunately, there was a hiccup as I made a rather undiplomatic comment about an old researcher I've worked with in the past, a woman who has made a bad habit of playing devil's advocate while the jury was still out. Nice work if you can get it.


Anyways, I removed the offending sentence though left my overly polite comment on ShadowMind's use of anonymity, being 'mindful that shadowy anonymity is an innovation enabled by digital technologies.' I even left a smiley face :) Oh, and I blog under my own name.


I'm quite happy with labels like 'Maori' in relevant contexts, such as a debate on innovation and tradition in NZ. My concern is that there's a huge literature on innovation, as we might expect from something that has been so dominant in modernity (not least through Schumpeters 'creative destruction', the guts of capitalism). Let's tap into it.


So far, no posting from the McDairmid institutes forum. And I must confess I used the opportunity to promote my upcoming paper on 'Innovation, Maori, and the Māori Economy: a flat or lumpy world?' that will be delivered at Nga Pae's conference in Auckland at the end of this month. 


My wider concern is that we just aren't engaged in the debate, although I understand the reasons why. I accuse ShadowMind of racism, the moderator disagrees, afterall, she's already accepted the first posting, presumably thankful to have something to present to the world, I call them a bunch a fcukwits....


You get the pikitia.


Two friends of mine - Pauline harris and Hemi Cummings - have tried to spark debate on a faceBook page dedicated to the Maori Association of Research Scientists. So far, Rob Whitbourne and I have had a nice exchange, Pauline's posted on the Transit of Venus event. Otherwise very little. 


WTF.


One reason might be fear. I know I'm scared to post sometimes. In my early days, I put something out there and got burnt, or is it flamed?! Kinda knocks you for a while, and for some, maybe there's no coming back to the www. Or you keep it inhouse, amongst friends, between Maori and fellow travellers.


Tain't how our tipuna did it.

Simon Lambert

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