Recognising and valuing Māori innovation in the high-tech sector: a capacity approach

This paper explores what it takes to develop a common language and shared sense of purpose between Māori and the high-tech science sector. Robotics and automation, 3-D printing, sensors, and digital technologies are shaping New Zealand’s economy in fundamental ways. If, as envisioned under New Zealand’s Vision Mātauranga policy, Māori contribution to economic growth through distinctive Indigenous innovation is to be recognised and valued, then how this happens in these frontier science domains requires investigation. Findings are presented from the first phase of a longitudinal study of one National Science Challenge: Science for Technological Innovation (SfTI)–Kia Kotahi Mai, Te Ao Pūtaiao me te Ao Hangarau. Collecting a variety of data from science, business and Māori participants, the findings suggest that while there is enabling macro policy, organisational and science team human and relational capacities require recalibrating. The authors outline a model of how this can be done through a focus on mātauranga (knowledge), tikanga (practice) and kaupapa (focus areas) and how SfTI is reshaping its organisational practice to align to this model. The research also identifies the important role of the science intermediary as crucial to this alignment within teams.fals

Political Entrepreneurship in the Field of Māori Sovereignty in Aotearoa New Zealand

Individual actors have the potential to shape political outcomes through creative use of opportunities. Political entrepreneurship identifies how such actors recognise and exploit opportunities, for personal or collective gain. The existing literature focuses on individuals operating within institutional settings, with less attention paid to other types of actors. In this article, I argue for an expansion of the political entrepreneurship framework, by considering individuals in the electoral and protest arenas. An examination of the field of Māori sovereignty, or tino rangatiratanga, in Aotearoa New Zealand allows exploration of prominent actors’ innovative strategies and practices. The findings highlight the actors’ reliance on identity in mobilising support within the community, to press claims. Broadening the application of political entrepreneurship demonstrates the roles of social, cultural and political capital in influencing outcomes, by identifying opportunities available to individuals embedded in the community and according to the context of the arena

Indigenous leisure events in times of turmoil: Resistance and resilience

In Aotearoa New Zealand, Matariki is a special time in the Māori world. The rising of the Matariki constellation (also known as Pleiades) is a time for remembering the dead, celebrating the present, and preparing the ground for the coming year. While its observation had all but ceased by 1940, it has experienced a resurgence since the 1990s (Whaanga et al., 2020). In 2020, the Labour party promised to make Matariki a public holiday if they were elected to government. As the only public holiday recognising the country’s Indigenous culture, this was highly significant. It was opposed by the opposition parties, some who made comments that showed “contempt for Māori culture” (RNZ, 2022). The bill passed and the first Matariki holiday was observed in June 2022 with communities around the country holding events, generating increased positive media coverage. In 2023, the opposition parties were elected to power, immediately announcing plans to repeal or review policies designed to improve outcomes for Māori (Duff, 2022). This generated a backlash amongst Māori (and many non-Māori). This qualitative study critically examines media accounts of leisure events celebrating Matariki over the period 2020-2024. We explore how, in this time of turmoil and increased hostility towards ‘things Māori’, media narratives frame events as sites of resistance and resilience. To foreground Māori voice in the findings, we use an Indigenous analytic framework drawing on four Māori principles: Te Ao Māori (the Māori world); tino rangatiratanga (selfdetermination, governance and autonomy); whanaungatanga (relationships and connection) and te reo (Māori language). We find that the Aotearoa NZ media have begun to connect the issues facing contemporary Māori with colonisation, and make them more visible. We conclude they are beginning to portray a more accurate ‘reality’ of the contemporary Māori lifeworld, using Matariki as a lens

Navigating by the stars: A critical analysis of Indigenous events as constellations of decolonization

This paper cultivates an approach to leisure scholarship which is more responsive to Indigenous peoples and responsibilities of translation. This study is grounded within kaupapa Māori, an Indigenous perspective specific to Aotearoa New Zealand that privileges Māori epistemology. We apply this to a longitudinal analysis of media representations of an Indigenous event (Puaka Matariki) held annually since 2004 in Ōtepoti/Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand. We find that media narratives surrounding the event use te reo (Māori language) in a way that demonstrates its acceptance in the wider non-Māori community, a clear respect for Te Ao Māori (the Māori world) through the incorporation of identity and values, the manifestation of whanaungatanga (collectivity and social relationality), and the assertion of tino rangatiratanga (sovereignty). We conclude that events such as Puaka Matariki can act as expressions of empowerment for Indigenous communities traditionally marginalized through experiences of colonization

Māori cultural values and soil fertility management – An exploratory study

Highlights • There have been limited studies to date specifically relating Māori cultural values to soil fertility management practices on farms. • The deep-rooted connection between Māori people and the land is a critical feature of their land management decisions. • Farms are food baskets for whānau and the wider community, as well as sources of income to provide other services and desired outcomes (e.g., social, cultural, environmental). • Soil fertility maintenance is a high priority for Māori land managers, but there is a fine balance to strike between this, farm cashflow and other responsibilities (e.g., whānau, community, kaitiakitanga). • Current environmental regulations present many complex challenges to Māori farms. • Potential exists in unlocking Māori provenance through seeking business partners who share the same cultural values

Recognising and Valuing Māori Innovation in the High-tech Sector: A Capacity Approach

This paper explores what it takes to develop a common language and shared sense of purpose between Māori and the high-tech science sector. Robotics and automation, 3-D printing, sensors, and digital technologies are shaping New Zealand’s economy in fundamental ways. If, as envisioned under New Zealand’s Vision Mātauranga policy, Māori contribution to economic growth through distinctive Indigenous innovation is to be recognised and valued, then how this happens in these frontier science domains requires investigation. Findings are presented from the first phase of a longitudinal study of one National Science Challenge: Science for Technological Innovation (SfTI) – Kia Kotahi Mai, Te Ao Pūtaiao me te Ao Hangarau. Collecting a variety of data from science, business and Māori participants, the findings suggest that while there is enabling macro policy, organisational and science team human and relational capacities require recalibrating. The authors outline a model of how this can be done through a focus on mātauranga (knowledge), tikanga (practice) and kaupapa (focus areas) and how SfTI is reshaping its organisational practice to align to this model. The research also identifies the important role of the science intermediary as crucial to this alignment within teams

Adapting an Evidence-Based e-Learning Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program Into a Mobile App for People Experiencing Gambling-Related Problems: Formative Study.

BACKGROUND: Many people who experience harm and problems from gambling do not seek treatment from gambling treatment services because of personal and resource barriers. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions are widely used across diverse health care areas and populations. However, there are few in the gambling harm field, despite their potential as an additional modality for delivering treatment and support. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to understand the needs, preferences, and priorities of people experiencing gambling harms and who are potential end users of a cognitive behavioral therapy mHealth intervention to inform design, features, and functions. METHODS: Drawing on a mixed methods approach, we used creators and domain experts to review the GAMBLINGLESS web-based program and convert it into an mHealth prototype. Each module was reviewed against the original evidence base to maintain its intended fidelity and conceptual integrity. Early wireframes, design ideas (look, feel, and function), and content examples were developed to initiate discussions with end users. Using a cocreation process with a young adult, a Māori, and a Pasifika peoples group, all with experiences of problem or harmful gambling, we undertook 6 focus groups: 2 cycles per group. In each focus group, participants identified preferences, features, and functions for inclusion in the final design and content of the mHealth intervention. RESULTS: Over 3 months, the GAMBLINGLESS web-based intervention was reviewed and remapped from 4 modules to 6. This revised program is based on the principles underpinning the transtheoretical model, in which it is recognized that some end users will be more ready to change than others. Change is a process that unfolds over time, and a nonlinear progression is common. Different intervention pathways were identified to reflect the end users' stage of change. In all, 2 cycles of focus groups were then conducted, with 30 unique participants (13 Māori, 9 Pasifika, and 8 young adults) in the first session and 18 participants (7 Māori, 6 Pasifika, and 5 young adults) in the second session. Prototype examples demonstrably reflected the focus group discussions and ideas, and the features, functions, and designs of the Manaaki app were finalized. Attributes such as personalization, cultural relevance, and positive framing were identified as the key. Congruence of the final app attributes with the conceptual frameworks of the original program was also confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: Those who experience gambling harms may not seek help. Developing and demonstrating the effectiveness of new modalities to provide treatment and support are required. mHealth has the potential to deliver interventions directly to the end user. Weaving the underpinning theory and existing evidence of effective treatment with end-user input into the design and development of mHealth interventions does not guarantee success. However, it provides a foundation for framing the intervention's mechanism, context, and content, and arguably provides a greater chance of demonstrating effectiveness

New Ways of Thinking about the Influence of Cultural Identity, Place and Spirituality on Child Development within Child Placement Practice

The policy and practice of family placement within the UK can be understood as the archetypal separation of a person from their physical environment, yet the inter section of ‘person with place’ – both past and present – has been argued to be crucial for identity formation. Indeed, intersectional analysts have called for alternative frame -works which challenge western models centering on the individual person disconnected from his or her community. An emerging body of work has drawn on Maori social work literature to explore the intersection of ‘person (identity) with place’ through an application to the concept of spirituality within western social work practice models. According to this perspective, people can have deep spiritual connections with the physical environment in which they live, creating a sense of belonging and attachment to that place. Victoria Sharley considers this Maori spiritual analysis in the context of family placement practice in the UK. In so doing, she offers a new way of thinking about the inter-relationship of cultural identity, place and spirituality as it affects the development of children separated from their birth families.<br/