7 Mar 2014

Maori centre of excellence could close

7:54 pm on 7 March 2014

The country's Maori Research Centre of Excellence could close down at the end of next year after missing out on government funding.

Nga Pae o Te Maramatanga lost its bid for further financial support from the Tertiary Education Commission because it wasn't short-listed by the Royal Society of New Zealand.

The move has attracted criticism from the Maori Party, which plans to raise the matter with Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce.

Nga Pae o Te Maramatanga director Professor Charles Royal says the centre was perfectly poised to address the area of Maori research, and he questions what happens in that arena now.

It looks like Nga Pae o te Maramatanga will close its doors at the end of 2015, when its current funding runs out, Prof Royal says. Maori studies will continue to be done by other centres but they will be limited.

What sets Nga Pae o te Maramatanga apart from other institutes is that it has a high degree of Maori involvement in research, he says.

Prof Royal plans to discuss the matter with Mr Joyce.