24/09/2026
Meet Te Taiawatea Moko-Painting (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Porou, Tūhourangi, Waikato), one of our 2025 Tonganui Scholars, whose research is connecting two taonga species, two Pacific nations and the whakapapa they share.
In Reporua, Aotearoa, and Rarotonga, Cook Islands, two distinct shellfish species share a name: pāua and pā’ua. For Te Taiawatea, that shared name opens the door to a much bigger kōrero about whakapapa, language, mātauranga and our relationships with the moana.
With support from the Tonganui Scholarship, Te Taiawatea is progressing PhD research exploring how land-based impacts affect the health of these taonga species, and how Indigenous knowledge and customary governance can help protect them for future generations.
Tapuwae Roa
Through community-led fieldwork and wānanga in Reporua and Rarotonga, Te Taiawatea aims to bring together knowledge holders from across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, strengthening connections between communities while exploring climate-resilient futures for pāua, pā’ua and the people who care for them.
Tapuwae Roa
Read more about Te Taiawatea’s kaupapa:
https://www.tapuwaeroa.org/funding/nga-auahituroa/te-taiawatea-moko-painting/
🌊 Could the Tonganui Scholarship help take your oceans kaupapa further?
Applications are now open for three $10,000 Tonganui Scholarships supporting Māori professionals advancing tikanga Māori, mātauranga tuku iho and Te Ao Māori within the oceans sector.
⏰ Applications close TODAY!
👉🏽 Apply now! https://www.tapuwaeroa.org/funding/tonganui-scholarship/