Noho Haumaru: Reflecting on Māori approaches to staying safe during Covid-19 in Aotearoa (New Zealand)

After living for generations virus free Māori have had to struggle with the introduction of diseases since our first contact with Pākeh`ā in 1769. Māori have experienced a number of epidemics and pandemics over the past 271 years. We have also known the failure of successive colonial governments to ensure the protection and wellbeing of our people. This article looks briefly at these historical experiences and provides reflection on some ways in which Iwi (tribal groups) and Māori organisations have utilised cultural practices to protect our communities during the Covid-19 crisis

He waipuna koropupū: Taranaki Māori wellbeing and suicide prevention

The research project He Waipuna Koropupū aimed to explore and share a knowledge base that could inform practice in relation to Taranaki Māori suicide. The project was grounded upon the notion that through Taranaki knowledge and information we can make significant changes in our approach to life and to our whānau relationships. The project was primarily about whānau ora and the wellbeing of future generations; through the reclamation and sharing of Taranaki Māori knowledge that can support intergenerational change and transformation. Taranaki Māori whānau (extended family groupings), hapū (subtribal grouping) and iwi (tribal grouping) deserve access to Kaupapa Māori approaches in order to help reclaim and inform decision making processes

Treasuring future generations: Māori and Hawaiian ancestral knowledge and the wellbeing of Indigenous children

This article examines ‘ōlelo no‘eau and whakataukī (ancestral proverbial sayings), for messages relating to the positioning of Māori and Hawaiian children and the relationship of that to traditional child-rearing practices.  In doing so, the authors explore whakataukī and ‘ōlelo no‘eau as a means to bring forward knowledge gifted to us by our ancestors that can inform our contemporary experiences as Indigenous Peoples.

Positioning historical trauma theory within Aotearoa New Zealand

This article explores the relevance of historical trauma theory for Mäori research. In exploring the impact of historical trauma upon Mäori it has become clear that the terminology associated with historical trauma theory is considered controversial in Aotearoa New Zealand. As such, this article provides an overview of key defi nitions relevant to historical trauma and explores these in relation to recent reporting related to the use of the terms “holocaust” and “genocide” in the context of colonization in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is argued that in order to engage fully with the impacts of colonization on Mäori wellbeing we must articulate fully the impact of historical trauma events and the contribution of those events to the negative health disparities experienced by many of our whänau (extended family), hapü (sub- tribes) and iwi (tribes)

Investigating Māori approaches to trauma informed care

This article gives an overview of a three-year Health Research Council funded research project “He Oranga Ngākau: Māori approaches to trauma-informed care”. The study is informed by Kaupapa Māori which provides both the theoretical and methodological foundation for understanding the world, exploring and conceptualising issues. The need for contextualised and culturally safe health and social services is well recognised within Aotearoa and particularly within Mental Health and Addiction Services. While trauma is an experience that can impact on all people, Māori experience trauma in distinct ways that are linked to the experience of colonisation, racism and discrimination, negative stereotyping and subsequent unequal rates of violence, poverty and ill health. Given that Māori are impacted by trauma in specific ways, it is important to explore and identify practice principles that contribute to the development of a framework that supports Māori Providers, counsellors, clinicians and healers in working with Māori. (Authors' abstract)

Kua Tupu Te Pā Harakeke: Developing Healthy Whānau Relationships

We have opened this chapter with our ‘pēpeha’. Pēpeha are ways through which our people introduce ourselves. These vary from tribe to tribe. The essence of pēpeha is that they link us to our tribes and all associated with that. Our mountains, our rivers, our canoes, our ancestral lines. It links us to each other. It places us, as Māori, within a wider collective consciousness and relationships. It is important to highlight that the term ‘Māori’ is a term that brings us as tribal peoples together. It is a term that our people have chosen to use as a means of unifying ourselves in the wake of the arrival of our colonizers. Prior to colonization all identification was done through our whānau (extended family structure), hapū (subtribes) or iwi (tribes). The term Māori means to be ‘normal’ or ‘pure’, as such it is a fitting term for an Indigenous People. We have, however, also been active in maintaining our hapū and iwi identities and it is through pēpeha that we can culturally share that identity with each other. Our people have been doing this for generations. And in spite of colonization seeking to undermine our cultural identity, many of us continue to do this