<p>T&#275;n&#257; koutou,</p>

<p>Ko Jorja Heta t&#333;ku ingoa.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>I hail from Te Tai Tokerau and am of Ng&#257;puhi, Te Rarawa and Te Aup&#333;uri descent. I am currently based in T&#257;maki Makaurau completing my undergraduate degree in a BA/LLB.</p>

<p>Research to me is a powerful avenue to be critical. To unpack and dismantle western theories and breathe new life into Indigenous stories. Sourcing the wisdom of our T&#363;puna that informs us to move backwards into the future. Ka mua, ka muri. I enter this space with the hope to examine our political climate from an intersectional lens and shed some insights for hapori M&#257;ori. Our research can leave legacies. and when I think of trailblazers in our histories such as Linda Tuhiwai Smith and Moana Jackson, putting pen to paper can inform future decision-making. I hope it does, at least for one person. From my whakaaro, that&rsquo;s what transformation feels like. An internal awakening within ourselves alongside an external shift of systems. You cannot have one without the other. I guess that&rsquo;s the brilliant duality of existence and why we have obligations to share knowledge that is tika, in the right way.</p>