Professor Te Kahautu Maxwell’s research is grounded in kaupapa Māori methodologies and is dedicated to the revitalisation, application, and advancement of Māori knowledge systems across a wide range of disciplines. His work contributes to the ongoing reclamation and strengthening of Māori epistemologies, worldviews, and practices, both within academic contexts and in service to iwi and hapū aspirations.

• Mātauranga Māori

• Te Reo Māori development and revitalisation

• Iwi development and self-determination

• Māori religion, with a particular focus on Te Hāhi Ringatū

• Māori history and oral traditions

• Building cultural capital in Māori communities

• Indigenous responses to climate change

• Kai sovereignty and Māori food systems

• Kai Māra, traditional fermented kai practices, and their health benefits

• Agri-diversity and sustainable land use

Professor Maxwell’s research is interdisciplinary and impact-driven, linking Indigenous knowledge with pressing contemporary issues to support the wellbeing, resilience, and sovereignty of Māori communities. He works collaboratively with iwi and hapū to advance locally grounded solutions and fosters partnerships with Western scientists to co-develop integrated knowledge models that bring together mātauranga Māori and Western science. These models aim to support culturally aligned and sustainable futures—particularly in the realms of environmental stewardship, food security, and climate adaptation.

Through his scholarship, Professor Maxwell contributes to the transformation of research practice in Aotearoa, championing kaupapa Māori frameworks as vital to both academic excellence and community empowerment.