COMMUNITY PROJECT #403 - TE MAURI RONGOĀ GLOBAL RESEARCH HUB

Mission Statement

To reclaim and operationalise indigenous medicinal wisdom through world-class, iwi-led research, ensuring the intellectual and spiritual sovereignty of our mātauranga is protected for future generations.

The Needs Assessment

For too long, Te Tai Tokerau has been a "Leaky Bucket" for both biological assets and human talent. Big pharmaceutical interests often extract the "embodied energy" of our native flora—like Kawakawa, Manuka, and Kumarahou—while the value-add and intellectual property (IP) are realised in offshore laboratories. Concurrently, our region faces a significant "Brain Drain," exporting our most energetic "Universal Constructors" (youth) because we lack high-tech, high-value industries. There is a desperate need for an entity that treats indigenous knowledge not as a relic of the past, but as high-fidelity data capable of solving modern global health crises.