Ngā mihi
Welcome to the second SING Aotearoa internship programme. The Summer Internship for Indigenous Genomics 2017 is an initiative led by Te Waka o Tama-rereti, an emerging network of Maori with interests in Genomics, Informatics and Technology as part of a Vision Matauranga Capability Fund project.
In recent years there has been significant advances in the fields of genetics and genomics and an increasing focus on Maori populations and indigenous species. All research conducted in Aotearoa New Zealand should involve consultation with Iwi Maori so it is important that we understand enough about the technical, ethical and cultural issues to engage researchers in robust discussions during that process.
The SING Aotearoa programme is designed to develop your understanding of genomics alongside some of the best researchers in New Zealand. We are grateful that researchers like Prof Cris Print, Prof Andrew Allan, and Dr Kimiora Henare have made space to spend time with us and share their knowledge and experience. Make use of this time by asking lots of questions.
The SING-Aotearoa workshop is a week-long internship modelled on an existing SING-USA programme. We are fortunate to have two faculty mentors from the USA programme coming to join us in Aotearoa. Dr Katrina Claw and Dr Keolu Fox will add an international dimension to the programme and bring their experience working with American Indian and Alaska Native interns.
The University of Auckland and Plant & Food Research are our hosts for 2017. The University of Auckland is New Zealand’s pre-eminent research-led institution and Plant & Food Research is a crown research institute that focuses on the sustainable production of high quality produce. We are also grateful for the time and resources that are being committed by the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and the Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery to support this initiative.
While genetics has been a lightning rod for debate in past years we hope that this workshop provides a space to share ideas and thoughts in an informative way.
Ma te mohio ka marama, Ma te marama ka matau, Ma te matau ka ora. Through awareness comes understanding, through understanding comes knowledge, through knowledge comes wellbeing. Kia ora koutou katoa.
SING-Aotearoa Conveners
Maui Hudson, Phil Wilcox, Katharina Ruckstuhl, Kimiora Henare