The Future of Humans as Social Beings in the Face of Rapid Change

Working independently as a composer, researcher and advisor is my thing. After working in a number of institutions (Te Wānanga-o-Raukawa, University of Auckland, Te Papa) I now work independently and am grateful that I am able to do so. I love the freedom of being myself in my work and not being constrained by structures and constraints around me. I am free to think deeply about Mātauranga Māori, for example, and seek advances for it on its own terms. Being independent does mean taking a risk and being comfortable with uncertain income levels. However, I love being independent, working for myself and the freedom it provides. 

Having said that, however, I do maintain a part time role as an advisor at Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures at the University of Auckland - and I maintain this role for three reasons: First, as its name suggests, the Centre is dedicated to thinking about the future. It is a place where productive discussions and debates about significant issues can take place. Consequently, the Centre is working on topics like social cohesion, the future of Auckland, the future of water and more. 

I love ‘future thinking’ and have been involved in a number of iwi/hapū strategic planning projects in the past few years. I find thinking about the future - and the challenges that it presents - endlessly fascinating. For my part, I have been exploring ‘interculturalism’ (a next step beyond biculturalism and multiculturalism) and the notion of ‘Aotearoa New Zealand as an indigenously inspired western democracy’ (my phrase) which has Te Tiriti o Waitangi at its core. 

The second reason that I enjoy Koi Tū is its interdisciplinary nature - meaning, that it is not just a centre for the sciences but rather it embraces a wide range of expertise and knowledge including the arts, humanities and more. This is important to me as an artist and a long time researcher of Mātauranga Māori. I get to use these aspects of myself in the work of Koi Tū and make contributions as a thinker based upon my experiences in these areas. 

Third, my involvement in Koi Tū has brought me into contact with a community of thinkers and creative people that I wouldn’t otherwise have met and been involved with. While Koi Tū is headquartered at the University of Auckland, the team is located throughout New Zealand and throughout the world. It is really important to mix with diverse people so that one does not get ‘stuck’ in one’s own thinking - but rather is stimulated and challenged in meaningful ways. 

The Centre is led by Sir Peter Gluckman who has done an excellent job of establishing the Centre (in 2019) and building a community during a time impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. He has been tireless in advancing the centre and last year he submitted a proposal on behalf of Koi Tū to the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR, based in Toronto) on the idea of ‘the future of humans as social beings in the face of rapid change’. It’s a fascinating topic which has prompted me to think about questions such as ‘what is it to be human from a Mātauranga Māori/indigenous point of view’?

The Koi Tū proposal was short listed by CIFAR and they funded our team to conduct a two day workshop in Paris to develop the final version of our proposal. The workshop took place at the offices of the International Science Council (Sir Peter is the President of the International Science Council) and was attended by colleagues from Brazil, United Arab Emirates, UK, Canada and New Zealand. Again, our colleagues were not just conventional scientists. Rather they included a classicist, information technology experts, an anthropologist, a political scientist and more. 

It was a very full and detailed two day meeting discussing the core questions of the research and the way we propose to address those questions (methodology). CIFAR is challenging all those who have been shortlisted to ensure that their proposals are focused upon issues or challenges that are deeply important to the future of the planet and humankind. Further, they equally challenge each team to be novel and innovative about how they wish to conduct research paying attention to such things as equity, diversity and inclusivity. 

I am really excited by this proposed research as it will be an opportunity to explore these questions from an indigenous point of view and to work again with indigenous scholars in other countries.

I hope we get funded!https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1E-i1Bdhf-LJmb8ob-bRUZKWoO8hvbp59https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1Et7M2-SoBMMCAwmyrJY9kXggpu-Pcrrshttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1lYuP_IisoNdURCJjO-2sfOs49gCzkg31https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1rMxNV3xA72l9EO_qB4XdncZFZvvJIJGjhttps://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1w7MPPOGT54anh4MG4klnEvbq5CIjxyi-



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