Matthew Scobie
2024: Dr Matthew Scobie (Ngāi Tahu, Tauiwi) of Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha University of Canterbury will investigate ways to transform Aotearoa New Zealand’s political economy through kaupapa Māori research
Escalating inequality and ecological collapse necessitate urgent political economic transformation. For this Fellowship, Dr Scobie will research concepts for a political economy that is guided by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, to allow for equal consideration of economy, nature, social wellbeing and knowledge. Dr Scobie will systematically map and conduct in-depth case studies of the precolonial and contemporary Māori political economy to develop evidence for an innovative methodological approach that draws on both concepts from contemporary political economy and kaupapa Māori methods. Dr Scobie is well-positioned in the New Zealand context - and arguably internationally - for being equally expert in established political economy approaches and Indigenous knowledges. His ambition to create a kaupapa Māori political economy is thus highly distinctive and has enormous potential not just for Aotearoa New Zealand, but for the field of political economy more generally.
Mōkihi on Ōtākaro by Philipp Meier (Photo: Ekant Veer)