Editorial

Abstract

The whānau, or family, that consists of members of the New Zealand Studies Association (NZSA) and that meets once a year at the Association’s hui, or conference, is a rich gathering of delegates old and new. In the last year NZSA lost three distinguished colleagues from its whānau: Fay Weldon, John Dunmore and Grant McCall. Members of the whānau may depart, but they remain alive through their words, contributions and debates. Two of the four articles in this issue are extensions of papers given at NZSA’s 2023 conference in Stockholm-Turku and this includes a contribution by Witi Ihimaera, who was one of the conference keynote speakers. Questions of indigeneity, identity and Māoritanga are vital to both these articles. They are also important to a third article, which examines taonga pūoro as cultural artefacts that can assist in reconsidering the extent of where the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa came from. A fourth article on Indonesia’s annexation of West Papua and the role of the United Nations, also adopts a revisionist approach.