Honouring identity: Cook Islands research excellence

As the Cook Islands marks 60 years of self-governance, the significance of Pacific-led research is making an impact, particularly Cook Island PhD candidates at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. 

Enriching both communities at home and across the diaspora with knowledge, insight, and impact, Professor Yvonne Underhill-Sem MNZM (Mauke, Mitiaro, Mangaia/Cook Islands, Niuean and Pākehā) highlights the value of community-centred Indigenous research.

She says that engaging meaningfully with local communities requires not only diverse skillsets but also the ability to communicate in local languages and dialects to share research findings effectively.

Professor Underhill-Sem co-led the University of Auckland’s research team on a major Pacific-led project on climate mobility, designed to better inform government policymaking and support effective, long-term and sustainable change.

The University’s Pacific PhD candidates exemplify the power of cultural identity in shaping research excellence.

Rāhera Mata Purotu Meinders (Oire Teenui/Teenui village, Atiu/Cook Islands), a lecturer in Te Puna Wānanga (School of Māori and Indigenous Education), says her Atiuan identity guides every aspect of her work. She is undertaking doctoral research on how Māori Avaiki Nui (Cook Islands Māori) secondary school students frame success.

“My Atiuan identity guides me in all that I do, including my research. I’m interested in how Māori Avaiki Nui identity develops in the diaspora and how schooling in Aotearoa can support that development. I’m also intrigued by how our identities are linked to motivation and our notions of success. I am passionate about drawing from kite pakari (ancestral wisdom) when deciding what methodologies to use to undertake research with our people.”

Her middle name, Mata Purotu – meaning “beautiful eyes” – was gifted by her grandmother, linking her to a legacy of ancestral wisdom. Rāhera’s work is grounded in Indigenous research methodologies and honours the term Māori Avaiki Nui to describe her people, following the example of Nicholas and Koka’ua (2025).

Another doctoral candidate in Architecture is also drawing on the foundations of his Māori Avaiki Nui roots.

Keanu Opuariki Heather, a second-year PhD candidate, is exploring the transformation of kāinga (family homesteads) in the Cook Islands. He is also a member of MĀPIHI: Māori and Pacific Housing Research Centre, which addresses housing issues affecting Māori and Pacific communities in Aotearoa.

His name, Opuariki, gifted by his great-aunt, connects him strongly to his ancestral home of Rarotonga.

“A proverb that has shaped my worldview is ‘Kia pupuru o vaevae, kia mokorā ō kakī’. It speaks to having a solid foundation in the Reo Māori (Cook Islands language) while being watchful and alert to changes one might face. For me, this means being brought up in Rarotonga and then migrating to Aotearoa, New Zealand. As a child, I would often listen to my grandparents and parents speak in the Reo. Through these moments, I came to understand the language by being present, listening and absorbing as much as I could.

Although I currently live in New Zealand, I still strongly affiliate my identity with Rarotonga as my home.”

Keanu’s mother’s family have connections to Rarotonga and Aitutaki, while his father’s side links to Rarotonga and Mangaia.

“Both of my parents were raised in the Oire (village) of Puaikura, also known as Aorangi. This Oire represents and shapes my sense of belonging.”