Field trippin'

kia ora koutou!
ka mihi au ki a koutou katoa!

I'm just back from my second field trip of December, visiting Mataroa Frew and James 'de Cat' Scott and doing a road trip from Otorohanga to Taranaki via the Forgotten World Highway and back through Mokau. This follows a trip the week before when I met with Linda Robinson of ERMA, Nick and co. at Massey, then on to a conference at the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), Taradale (where I went to high school in the fucking eighties!). I've been offline dealing with, among other things, a formal complaint I've laid at LU (actually concerning the CoRE) and finishing MAST 319 (Maori Resource Management) admin details (which i did for free, 'cos I'm an idiot). I've also ended up Postgraduate Officer at Lincoln for 2005 (thanks Sean...). Evidently comes with a $3,000 honorarium which I have voiced an interest in utilising as a slush fund (I swear that buying pints for postgrads in Mrs O's on a Friday avo is the best way to get feedback).

I've put in five draft chapters of my thesis, a load off although John F. has already shredded bits of it...not going past chapter 1 actually. And he's right: there's a lot of writing to be done yet. It's occured to me that I am in violation of my MEA (that's an entire story I need to talk about too) whereby Team Leader clears all media releases. As no one (other than Mataroa!) reads all this, I can't see a problem. Yet.

Lincoln University's IP debate

Discussion on Lincoln University’s policy for intellectual property – deemed worthy of its own acronym IP (also IPR where the ‘R’ stands for ‘Rights’ which perhaps indicates the, um, sensitivity of the issue) – is wending its way through the bureaucratic labyrinth. Maori students are invited to engage in this debate as contributors, mediators and kaitiaki of matauranga Maori or Maori knowledge. Of course whether we (and our whanaunga) can engage in such a debate in a manner cognisant with our needs and wants is perhaps too tortuous a challenge for students and staff to take up (again).

What is clear is that IP originates from what German philosopher of technology, Friedrich Rapp, calls the ‘psychological event’ of invention, a separate phenomenon from the concrete embodiment, i.e. the construction (and sale) of things with ownership rights defined in patents, copyright etc. Debate following the recent (and most excellent) Post Graduate Conference revolved around this subtle change, from intellectual ‘capital’ to ‘property’. Post-grad students have a significant role as researchers and therefore inventors of IP and (potential) wealth which, as history does record, can be variously and viciously appropriated.

There seems to be an unspoken assumption that our physical science colleagues are the ones to be most affected by any policy. I think any such a process is surely worth the professional attention of any social scientist worth her salt. Who gets what, and how is such a decision reached? Well, once German philosophers are involved, we can assume that clarity is akin to an earthy suspension in dihydrogen oxide.

Uncles (l-r) Hemi, Peter and Haki, three of the kaumatua of Tahuri Whenua at the recent Te Ohu Whenua Conference, Massey University. 

Tahuri Whenua stalwarts (l-r) April Bennet, Nic Roskruge and Mataroa Frew, Te Ohu Whenua Conference, Massey University, July 2004. 

Te Ohu Whenua Conference

This conference was held at Massey University, July 8th and 9th, and highlighted the achievements of Maori in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Speakers came from a range of disciplines, including the dark side, namely Politricks! Yes, proceedings opened with speeches from Parekura Horomia and Dover Samuels, followed by cups of tea and Jim Sutton, Minister of Agriculture. I wagged that particular session, and given the comments afterwards did not miss much. Prof. Steve Wratten evidently skewered the Hon. gentleman with one of the those annoying questions that shoot a number of the parading fluffy ducks.

I'm working on a summary of the conference proceedings (my 'Place of Place' paper included, see below). There was acknowledgement of the 'sleeping giant' of Maori ag-hort enterprise but like I keep banging on about: Who gets What?!

Of course there has been considerable movement in what is now funded by both public and private supporters of research. One presentation (by Fiona Duncan) highlighted the Sustainable Farming Fund. This fund has supported over 100 projects, although not by stumping up with all of the necessary cash instead requiring payment in kind (love that term) and/or moni. NCABT is supporting at least one application that I'm aware of, in connection with Maori horticulture, surely a combination unimaginable ten years ago.

Proceedings are published (edited by Evelyn Hurley, copies available from macpd@massey.ac.nz) and I'll summarise those papers that are relevant to my research.