Research Proposal

• Clive Aspin
• Michael Walker
• Taina Pohatu

The research proposal is an important step in developing a research project. In the first instance it helps you to further define your research question and enables you to demonstrate how you intend to go about answering that question. Secondly, the research proposal is able to give an overview of the research project so that other people understand the scope of the research, the significance of the research, as well as your proposed methodology and chosen research method.

The research proposal also has a formal use by funding agencies, ethical boards, educational and research institutions. These institutions use research proposals to evaluate and assess the research project and make decisions on funding, support, academic merit and ethical issues. Proposals are often highly scrutinised, so it is important that they are well thought out and written. The proposal should provide evidence that your research is of value, that you the researcher are capable of conducting this research, and that the way in which you have chosen to study the subject is sound and ethical.

A Kaupapa Māori research proposal is in many ways similar to other standard research proposals. However, a Kaupapa Māori research proposal will also demonstrate that your research is relevant to Māori, seeks to create positive outcomes for Māori communities and/or whānau, hapū and iwi, and aligns with the principles of Kaupapa Māori research.

It’s important to remember that although the research proposal sets out the general parameters and scope of your research, it is inevitable that your research will change as you discover new information, develop your ideas, and refine your arguments.

Kia Tūpato!

The important thing to remember when writing your Kaupapa Māori research proposal is the need to demonstrate an understanding of the cultural context(s) and show that the issue you wish to research, and the ways in which you propose to investigate the issue is valid under a Kaupapa Māori framework. Kaupapa Māori can not “be done” in one section of the proposal alone, but is an approach that should be thought about at every stage of the proposal.