The research looks at the traditional Māori worldview of knowledge through to the current view of mātauranga Māori, which covers a broad range of knowledge and practices. Dr Charles then offered thoughts on how this research could practically be applied in the museum sector, but pointed out that:
Contemporary Māori culture is again undergoing change and the place of taonga will change as well. It is beyond the scope of the museums to make a final judgement as to the changing shape and character of a culture; however, it is within the scope of the museum to remain in touch with the expectations of a people relating to their artefacts and the work of the museum as a whole.
Dr Charles has suggested ideas to further this research, including a study of contemporary tikanga pertaining to the handling of taonga; developing a body of literature about taonga; and for Te Papa purposes, to develop a statement on mātauranga Māori.
Dr Charles is an accomplished musician, writer, researcher, and academic who has written and edited a number of publications pertaining to mātauranga Māori. In recent years, Dr Charles has been a research resident at the Rockefeller Foundation Study and Research Centre in Italy; he was a Fulbright Senior Scholar, and the recipient of a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust travelling scholarship that enabled him to undertake a comparative study of indigenous worldviews in the United States and Canada in 2001. Dr Charles also held the position of Director of Graduate Studies and Research at Te Wānanga-o-Raukawa in Otaki for six years.
National Services Te Paerangi will be progressing this work further in the coming months. The report will be made available on the NSTP website shortly.