Dr Lachlan Paterson - Supervision
- My research
- What I might supervise
- The supervisor-student relationship
- Current Supervisions
- Past Supervisions
- Testimonials
- Contact me
My research
I like to think that my research complements my teaching, including the supervision side of my teaching. I currently teach Māori language and Māori history in Te Tumu, but formally taught in the History programme at Massey University. My PhD thesis research involved a combination of te reo Māori and history in a study of Māori-language newspapers 1855-1863. This research was largely textual and archival. My two main research projects at the moment are looking at Māori print culture, and at female missionaries of the Presbyterian Māori Mission. This latter research has meant engaging with ethics approval procedures and oral interviewing techniques.
What I might supervise
I am very happy to supervise post-graduate students with interesting topics of an empirical nature, and I welcome enquiries from prospective post-graduate students. I am ideally suitable to supervise topics with a historical flavour, or which utilize Māori-language texts. I have a good working knowledge of the Treaty of Waitangi, and of tikanga Māori. However, I believe my skills would be useful to a student researching any Māori or indigenous topic.
The supervisor-student relationship
Like most other supervisors I prefer a motivated student reasonably capable of self-direction who accomplishes set tasks promptly. However all students need some guidance at times and it is my job to ensure that my students get it. I attempt to get their work back in a timely fashion although students must realize that my duties also extend to under-graduate teaching, administration, and my own research. I see my real strength in my responses, verbal and written, to their ideas, and in helping to ensure that the final quality of the thesis reflects the student’s potential.
Current Supervisions
- Kate Timms- PhD - Language Revitalization in Aotearoa New Zealand and Alba Scotland [with Dr Brendan Hokowhitu and Prof. Michael Reilly]
- Michelia Ward – MIndS – New Zealand’s Fairtrade and Indigenous Self-empowerment in Peru.
- Alexander Stevens – MIndS – The Mispronunciation of Māori Names by Health Professionals.
Past Supervisions
- Hauiti Hakopa - PhD - Converting an Oral Tradition into a Spatial Tradition [with Prof George Benwell, housed in Infoscience] (2010)
- Eilis Haden – MindS - The Cold House of Equality: ‘Them and Us’ in Northern Irish Society (2010)
- Hone Te Rire - MIndS - The Dissipation of Indigeneity through Religion (2009)
- Craig Hall - PGDipArts - Nā tāku raurau, nā tāu raurau ka ora ai te iwi: Using the Zone of Proximal Development, Scaffolding, and the Socio-Cultural Theory to enhance the teaching of Māori as a second language: A critical analysis of the rākau method of teaching and the bilingual method of teaching (2008)
- Jacinta Paranihi - BA (Hons) - The Formation of Hapū in Traditional and Contemporary Māori Society (2008)
- Vic Evans - MA (Massey) - Head, Heart and Hand: Studio Pottery in Nelson 1956-1976 [with Prof. Margaret Tennant] (2007)
- Emily Owen - MA (Massey) - Intermarriage : its Role and Importance within Early New Zealand Shore Whaling Stations [with Dr Kerry Taylor] (2007)
Testimonials
"In February 2008 I enrolled in a Master of Indigenous Studies (MIndS) programme with Te Tumu of Te Whare Wānanga o Ōtago. I passed the MIndS programme in 2009. Dr Lachy Paterson was my supervisor for the Thesis report. From the outset Dr Paterson provided professional and personal advice, and kept me focused. The fact that I was a distant learner provided some challenges, but communication was never a barrier. Thankful to modern technology we kept in regular contact, as well as through the occasional visit. Regular communication is the key to a good supervisor/student relationship. A disciplined approach to studies and a discerning eye is also helpful. Through Dr Paterson I grew in these skills. His critical analysis of my thesis kept me focused, and through him I learnt to accept constructive criticism. I continue to grow in that area. I view the supervisor as a person who expresses ‘manaakitanga’ and ‘āwhinatanga’, a person who genuinely wants to help a student do well. I am grateful to Dr Paterson for his patience and knowledge. Without his enduring assistance I might have struggled. A great supervisor, a good friend. E te rangatira e kore e mimiti te puna o te mihi mōu. Ko te tohu o te rangatira, ko te manaaki. Ko koe tērā."
Jonathan (Hone) Te Rire (October 2009)
"In 2006 and 2007, as a post-graduate student at Massey University, I researched and wrote a MA thesis on the history of studio pottery in Nelson, 1956 – 1976. Throughout the two year period Dr Lachlan Paterson was one of my supervisors. The researching and writing process was an exciting and thoroughly enjoyable experience, in no small part because of the level of support I received from Dr Paterson and the stimulating intellectual environment he created. He challenged the many preconceptions I held without imposing his own ideas or denigrating mine. He presented me with examples of good research and writing practice, quickly returned drafts and suggested alterations that I believe enhanced the final outcome. Furthermore, in an example of a person who is prepared ‘to go the extra mile’ for his students - regardless of which university he or they are located at - Dr Paterson has continued to answer questions I have put to him during the last eighteen months as I work on my PhD thesis."
Vic Evans (October 2009)
Contact me
Room Richardson South Tower, Rm 3S7
Phone 64 3 479 3972
Fax 64 3 479 8525
Email lachlan.paterson@otago.ac.nz
