Abstract

In 2002, the New Zealand Government established several Centres of Research Excellence. One of these is The National Institute of Research Excellence for Māori Development and Advancement. The programme run by the Institute is called “Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga” (Horizons of Insight) focuses on building research capability and capacity of Indigenous people through the educational and social dimensions. The major objectives include intervention through Doctoral-level training, increasing the number of highly-trained people and fostering the development of transformative leadership. The methodology is based on a national network of tertiary institutions and other agencies. This network is characterised by local, national and international interactions that are convergent yet sensitive to the specificities of each environment. This paper describes the conceptual basis of the capability building model in terms of its vision of cultural transformation. It also describes the capability building programme components which include: a networked curriculum, a system of grants and fellowships and an institutional mentoring component. The transformative potential of a number of other initiatives will also be outlined. It is expected that implications for other Indigenous settings will be readily recognised.