SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Crime Science

Te Puna Haumara - The New Zealand Institute for Crime Science based at the University of Waikato aims to reduce crime and increase security through multi-disciplinary, evidence-based research.

Treaty of Waitangi

Te Rōpū Manukura safeguards the Treaty of Waitangi for the University of Waikato. It is made up of members from over 20 different iwi (tribes) and is an established committee of the University Council.

Policy Impact

Professor Ian Hawes who sits on the Science and Technical Advisory Group for the Ministry for the Environment, overseeing scientific evidence for freshwater policy development

Our pioneering Faculty of Law

Te Piringa Faculty of Law was founded in 1991 with a firm commitment to biculturalism and was the first in the country to introduce Māori perspectives into its mainstream legal programmes. Its name, Te Piringa, translates as the coming together of peoples and cultures. Over the past three decades, it has become known as one of New Zealand’s leading law schools with a reputation as a pioneer in dispute resolution.

Professor Tafaoimalo Tologata Leilani Tuala-Warren (pictured) has recently been appointed Dean of Te Piringa Faculty of Law at the University of Waikato, becoming New Zealand’s first Dean of Law of Pacific descent.

Honoring the student voice

The Waikato Students' Union (WSU) is the independent voice of our student body and is governed by a group of 12 democratically elected students who listen, speak and act passionately on behalf of students.

The WSU President also sits on the University Council where they represent all students at the University. The University Council is responsible for governance of the University, providing strategic direction and major decision-making.

Supporting NZ Police through evidence-based research

We work closely with NZ Police through the Evidence-Based Policing Centre, a joint partnership that is dedicated to multi-disciplinary research about crime. The Centre was the first of its type in the world when it first launched in 2017, targeting problems, testing solutions in live environments and tracking results to ensure the best outcomes for our communities.

Transforming data ecosystems to benefit indigenous peoples

A team of University of Waikato researchers is leading groundbreaking research focused on optimising data ecosystems for the benefit of Indigenous societies. The research will move beyond current efforts to reduce bias in algorithms, and explore what it means to ‘decolonise’ algorithms that adversely affect Māori communities. Associate Professor Māui Hudson, Associate Professor Te Taka Keegan and Professor Tahu Kukutai (pictured) are leading the four-year research programme titled Tikanga in Technology: Indigenous Approaches to Transforming Data Ecosystems.

The research is supported by $6 million from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Endeavour Fund. They are working with researchers from many other universities across New Zealand and globally to develop tools and processes that can help IT workers understand and incorporate Indigenous perspectives when working on data sets, not only in terms of storage and data processing, but also in the creation of algorithms that have the potential for bias. Situated at the interface of mātauranga Māori and data science, this interdisciplinary programme has strong support from key data stakeholders across Te Ao Māori and Government.