2022 Fulbright-Ngā Pae O Te Māramatanga Graduate Announced

Fulbright New Zealand and Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga - New Zealand's Māori Centre of Research Excellence are thrilled to announce that Nikki Barrett is the recipient of the 2022 Fulbright-Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Graduate Award which will enable her to undertake research in the United States.

Nikki Barrett nee Haereroa (Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Porou) from Kirikiriroa is a PhD candidate at Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato/ University of Waikato working in the area of the revitalisation of traditional Indigenous birthing knowledge and practices. Nikki comments that her own personal experiences were the motivation for wanting to undertake further study in the US.

“I believe solutions can be achieved by sharing knowledge and wisdom with other Indigenous Peoples, particularly in the sharing of traditional birthing practices. As a Māori māmā who has experienced the full spectrum of the health system as both service user and health professional, I have a responsibility to ensure my research will have a meaningful impact and contribute to improved health gains for our whānau.”

Nikki’s award will give her the opportunity to spend almost a year with various health professionals, communities and academics in the US who work in Indigenous health traditions and practices. “One of my goals is to support the creation of an international Indigenous birthing space for people to gather, collaborate, and exchange knowledge—an Indigenous birthing wānanga”, says Nikki.

NPM Co-Director and Fulbright alumna Professor Tahu Kukutai comments, “Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga is really excited to work with Fulbright to enable this opportunity for Nikki. Birthing practices is an important area within Indigenous health research and is receiving more attention as a consequence of the global recognition of the importance of Indigenous knowledge and solutions.”

Penelope Borland, Fulbright New Zealand’s Executive Director adds, “Fulbright New Zealand is proud to partner with Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga in offering this award and I am delighted that Nikki will have this opportunity to further her work and thinking in the United States. I know that her experience will be transformational and that the work Nikki is doing will be profoundly impactful in the revitalisation of traditional Indigenous birthing knowledge and practices back home in Aotearoa."

Nikki and the rest of the 2022 Fulbright New Zealand cohort will be honoured at a special awards ceremony at the National Library in Wellington on Monday 27 June, hosted by Hon Aupito William Sio, Minister for Pacific People and Minister for Courts.

Applications for the Fulbright-Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Graduate awards are open now. The closing date is August 1. For more details, please visit https://www.fulbright.org.nz/awards/nzgraduate/fulbright-npmgraduate/

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