He Pito Mata Conference Reflection (Dr Betty Ofe-Grant)
Overview
In September 2026, I took part in a full week of Māori and Pacific research engagement and activities with Francis Sakato and Measina Meredith, including Pacific strategic discussions, networking, presentations, a research launch, and participation in the He Pito Mata Conference. My participation reminded me that research is deeply relational and I came away reflecting on how our Pacific values guide both our research and the way we work together.
Tuesday 8th September: Meeting with Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga
On Tuesday, we met with colleagues from Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, along with Dr Roannie Ng Shiu and Natalie Solomona, to share our current aspirations, goals, and potential future collaborations. I valued this opportunity to learn and recognise our distinct identities.
Wednesday 9th September: Māori and Pacific Researchers Wānanga held at Unitec
On Wednesday, Francis, Measina and I presented at a Māori and Pacific researchers wānanga held at Unitec, introducing Pacific Futures, the Strategic Plan, and the Mentoring Programme. This provided an opportunity to explain the direction and priorities of Pacific Futures, increase awareness of its work, and engage directly with Māori and Pacific researchers interested in strengthening research capability, leadership, mentoring, and professional connections. The event also helped me reflect on tautua or service as a foundation of research leadership. I left with a stronger sense of responsibility to help turn out intentions into practical support.
Thursday 10th September: He Pito Mata Conference and Te Poutoko Launch
On Thursday, we attended the first day of He Pito Mata, celebrating new endeavours, research, and innovation from Early Career Academics and Māori and Pacific colleagues. We also attended the Te Poutoko launch, which provided an opportunity to celebrate Pacific research leadership and the achievements of Sir Colin Tukuitonga, including the significant recognition associated with World Health Organization accreditation. It prompted me to consider my own responsibility to make space for others, particularly researchers whose knowledge and contributions may not always be recognised within academic spaces.
Friday 11th September: He Pito Mata Panel Presentation
On Friday, I participated in the He Pito Mata panel session on Co-creation and Community-led Transformation. My contribution focused on Pacific research involving the Pacific community (at the grass-roots level) and on the importance of relationships, community voice, ‘push-back’ on epistemic violence, and culturally grounded approaches to research and transformation. Other panellists shared their experiences and perspectives while also learning from others working across Māori, Pacific and Indigenous research spaces. For me, culturally grounded research requires humility, careful listening and a willingness to share decision-making. Community-led transformation asks us to take community knowledge seriously throughout the research process, including how findings are interpreted and used.
Networking and Relationship Building with Pacific and non-Pacific
Across the week, I experienced fa’aaloalo (respect), reciprocity and collective responsibility through listening to conversations, exchanging ideas via talanoa and supporting one another’s work. The highlight of the week for me was the opportunity to meet and strengthen connections with other Pacific researchers - particularly those in the ITP (Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics) sector. I had not realised the growing Pacific researchers in this sector which demonstrates the strength of Pacific people and researchers in NZ. The values, new and ongoing relationships and the knowledge shared should inform what we do next
Personal reflections (Francis Sakato)
Attending the He Pito Mata conference organized by Royal Society Te Apārangi this year offered a unique, deeply resonant perspective. Here are a few core reflections after attending the He Pito Mata in Auckland through a Papua New Guinea lens.
Deepening Institutional Ties: From Wantok Solidarity to Strategic Collaboration
Attending He Pito Mata as part of the Pacific Futures Reference Group delegation allowed us to move beyond broad solidarity and establish institutional partnership.
Engaging Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM)
High-level strategic discussions with NPM (Aotearoa’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence) provided an opportunity to learn how to institutionalize Indigenous scholarship. As a Papua New Guinean, witnessing how Māori seamlessly integrate mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) with rigorous science highlights a clear roadmap for how we can better harness tumbuna (ancestral) knowledge systems within PNG research institutions and the wider Pacific research community.
Building a Pacific Framework
A key takeaway from the event is that Pacific Futures (through PAS) should actively leverage its relationship with NPM to adopt their established expertise in supporting Indigenous scholars, adapting those frameworks to empower emerging researchers across the broader Pacific.
Unveiling the Future: The Māori and Pacific Researcher Wānanga
The Māori and Pacific Researcher Wānanga served as a vibrant incubator for mutual learning and cross-cultural dialogue.
Showcasing Pacific Futures
Amidst this collaborative forum dedicated to elevating emerging voices (kōrero), our delegation proudly unveiled the Pacific Futures Strategic Plan, our new Mentoring Programme, and our official website.
Cross-Cultural Exchange
Standing alongside Māori early-career scholars reinforced that our struggles and aspirations as Melanesians, Polynesians, and Micronesians are deeply intertwined, particularly when pushing for research that serves community outcomes rather than just traditional publication metrics.
Global Health and Regional Resilience: Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa
A profound highlight of the Auckland engagement was attending the celebration for Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa (Centre for Pacific and Global Health) to mark its official designation as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Noncommunicable Diseases and Climate Change.
As Papua New Guinean, this milestone is deeply personal. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and the escalating impacts of climate change are front-line crises back home in PNG. Seeing a Pacific-focused global health centre gain international recognition underscores the vital role that Indigenous-led health research plays on the world stage.
Redefining Research Ecosystems: AI, Sovereignty, and Impact
The He Pito Mata forum itself challenged traditional academic boundaries and forced us to confront the future of research head-on:
Navigating Artificial Intelligence
One of the most critical insights from the forum was that navigating AI in research methodologies requires a non-negotiable alignment with Indigenous Data Sovereignty. For emerging PNG scholars, ensuring data protection and ethical usage is vital to safeguarding our cultural narratives and biological data from exploitation.
Community-Centric Metrics
The discussions on cross-sector career mobility and redefining impact around genuine community outcomes, rather than cold publication metrics, resonated deeply with the realities of community engagement in Papua New Guinea and the wider Pacific. Research must give back directly to the villages and local level governments that host it.
Summary Reflection
Participating in He Pito Mata through the backing of the Pacific Academy of Sciences (and with the invaluable guidance of the PAS Secretariat and the International Science Council) was a transformative reminder of our collective potential (He Pito Mata). By forging robust support systems alongside our Māori peers, we are not just advancing our individual careers, we are laying the foundational stone for the next generation of Pacific scientific leadership.