Ngahuia Murphy is a New Zealand researcher and author. Murphy has written and published books focusing on Māori cultural practises and knowledge surrounding

menstruation Menstruation (also known as a period, among other colloquial terms) is the regular discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the inner lining of the uterus through the vagina. The menstrual cycle is characterized by the rise and fall of hor ...

and is currently a recipient of the Health Research Council New Zealand postdoctoral fellowship.

Academic career

Completing her Masters at

Waikato University , mottoeng = For The People , established = 1964; years ago , endowment = (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $263.6 million (31 December 2020) , chancellor = Sir Anand Satyanand, GNZM, QSO, KStJ , vice_chancellor = Neil Quigley , city ...

, Murphy's thesis focused on traditional menstruation practices, stories, and ceremonies in Māori society prior to European colonization. Murphy stressed the importance of this research, writing that the thesis aimed to challenge the framing of menstruation "within deeply misogynist, colonial ideologies in some ethnographic accounts, distorting menstrual rites and practices beyond recognition", and linking menstruation in Māori communities to the concepts

atua Atua are the gods and spirits of the Polynesian peoples such as the Māori mythology, Māori or the Hawaiian religion, Hawaiians (see also ); the Polynesian languages, Polynesian word literally means "power" or "strength" and so the concept is s ...

and

whakapapa Whakapapa (, ), or genealogy, is a fundamental principle in Māori culture. Reciting one's whakapapa proclaims one's Māori identity, places oneself in a wider context, and links oneself to land and tribal groupings and the mana of those. Exper ...

. Murphy's doctoral thesis was completed in 2019. Murphy has likewise published books on menstruation, including ''Waiwhero: Red Waters: A Celebration of Womanhood He Whakahirahiratanga o te Ira Wahine -'' a Māori health resource. Murphy told

Stuff News Stuff is a New Zealand news media website owned by newspaper conglomerate Stuff Ltd (formerly called Fairfax). It is the most popular news website in New Zealand, with a monthly unique audience of more than 2 million. Stuff was founded in 20 ...

that the books were about "reclaiming our ancient teachings that empower Māori women and the whole whanau".

Personal life

Murphy was born in

Murupara Murupara is a town located in the Whakatāne District and Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand's North Island. The town is situated in an isolated part of the region between the Kaingaroa Forest and Te Urewera protected area, on the banks of the ...

and is of

Ngāti Manawa Ngāti Manawa is a Māori iwi of New Zealand. Hapū and marae The tribe is made up of four ''hapū'' (sub-tribes). Each has a ''marae'' (communal grounds) and ''wharenui'' (meeting house). * Moewhare, based at Karangaranga marae and Moewhare ...

, Ngāti Ruapani ki Waikaremoana, Tūhoe,

Ngāti Kahungunu Ngāti Kahungunu is a Māori iwi located along the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The iwi is traditionally centred in the Hawke's Bay and Wairārapa regions. The tribe is organised into six geographical and administrative di ...

, and

Te Arawa Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori iwi and hapu (tribes and sub-tribes) of New Zealand who trace their ancestry to the Arawa migration canoe (''waka'').Nándor Tánczos Nándor Steven Tánczos (, hu, Tánczos Nándor; born 29 May 1966) is a New Zealand social ecologist, researcher, educator, activist and political commentator. He is currently a councillor in the Whakatāne District Council. He is also co-direc ...

, her partner since 2000. Together they have two children.

Publications

* *

References

Living people New Zealand women academics New Zealand Māori academics New Zealand Māori women academics People from Murupara Ngāti Manawa people Ngāi Tūhoe people Ngāti Kahungunu people Te Arawa people Year of birth missing (living people) {{NewZealand-academic-bio-stub