Te Ao Māori Research Priority Area
Te Ao Māori Research Projects
Mātauranga Māori in Infectious Disease and Pandemic Preparedness
Whakarāpopoto Rangahau I Summary of Research
Across histories of pandemic events, epidemics and serious infectious disease threats and challenges, Māori have fared the most poorly of all populations.
This project prepares and defines a pathway forward for mātauranga Māori in the context of pandemic preparedness, iwi resilience and infectious diseases to co-exist in partnership with scientific knowledge. This study seeks to comprehend and distinguish mātauranga Māori – te ao Māori tikanga (methods) of pandemic phases, infection prevention, control and management as a body of knowledge that is meaningful and in application able to be implemented, observed and practiced.
A catalogue of colonisation, racism, health system engagement experiences, responsiveness and inequities have impeded Māori determination to achieve wellbeing and resilience to the extent fully possible for infectious diseases and pandemic preparedness.
For example, during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic Māori rates of mortality were 4.5 times greater than non- Māori and they also had a higher risk for respiratory and heart disease. Supplies of preventative control were low across Māori communities. Public health surveillance was in its infancy and less of a partnership kind with reciprocal information sharing. Though contemporary known control measures were implemented such as gathering bans and school closures, Māori leadership implemented measures of quarantine across settlements on their own accord including steps for ventilation, raised raupo huts and locations of isolation even in close-living arrangements.
During the 2020 covid pandemic Māori still experienced disproportionate outcomes despite vast technological public health and biomedical advances made in the more than 100 years since the 1918 pandemic. A defining factor of the 2020 pandemic was iwi Māori innovation that led much of the welfare and later immunisation response in terms of engagement and responsiveness for Māori. Measures such as roadblocks for protecting rohe were an enactment of mātauranga and tikanga Māori reminiscent of traditional measures of isolation, raahui and aukati.
For both the 1918 and 2020 pandemics iwi across the motu will have examples and narratives of their unique and innovative responses and measures to protect the oranga of their people, which are grounded in mātauranga and tikanga unique to their respective whaanau, hapuu and iwi. These speak to marae and community resilience.
Researchers in this project will wānanga as the primary method of instigating engagement, data collection and analysis.
This project prepares and defines a pathway forward for mātauranga Māori in the context of pandemic preparedness, iwi resilience and infectious diseases to co-exist in partnership with scientific knowledge. This study seeks to comprehend and distinguish mātauranga Māori – te ao Māori tikanga (methods) of pandemic phases, infection prevention, control and management as a body of knowledge that is meaningful and in application able to be implemented, observed and practiced.
As a diverse research scenario, it seeks to separate ‘othering’ and alternate approaches but in practice define definitive mātauranga contributions as valid in relation to infectious diseases and pandemic preparedness.
Te Hiranga a Rangahau I Research Impact
This rangahau will enable Māori to implement and revive authentic mātauranga and tikanga in order to control and manage preventative measures in the face of future pandemics. As Māori, researchers are enabling and empowering their people to be authentically themselves and look to their own ways and methods of responding to infectious diseases and pandemics as they arise.
This programme of work elevates mātauranga and tikanga Māori practices in the context of responding to future infectious diseases and pandemics as a valid and authentic body of knowledge that should be given equal weighting in comparison to any other body of knowledge.
Impact Case Study
Principal Investigator: Huirama Matatahi, Tongikura Ltd.
Ngā Kawenga i Rangiātea
Whakarāpopoto Rangahau I Summary of Research
This project, adopts a rangatahi-focused approach in addressing infectious diseases and pandemic preparedness, uniquely positioning within the landscape of te ao Māori and rangahau Māori.
While the project has a particular focus on rangatahi Māori, it acknowledges the intergenerational impact of infectious diseases and the importance of community-wide involvement in pandemic preparedness.
The rangahau will develop a framework for understanding infectious disease research in a manner that resonates with rangatahi and Māori communities, whānau, hapū and iwi of Aotearoa. It will lay the foundations for the development of comprehensive strategies for managing infectious diseases, particularly those disproportionately affecting Māori.
The goal is to engage in the research with a methodology that honours indigenous knowing systems reaching beyond the current parameters of traditional research paradigms towards ancestral intelligence as new research paradigms.
This research embraces a transformative methodology that prioritizes Māori epistemologies and methodologies, anchoring the research within the paradigms of ancestral intelligence. By focusing on taonga descended from Rangiātea, particularly in the context of infectious diseases, this kaupapa aims to empower rangatahi, fostering generation of leaders who are both culturally attuned and adept in scientific inquiry. The concept of 'Ngā Kawenga i Rangiātea' (all that descends from Rangiātea) forms the core of this approach, offering a holistic perspective on health and well-being.
Engagement in conversations regarding infectious disease is broad and varying, with whānau Māori still feeling the impacts of loss and disease related to infectious disease. To lay the foundations for the development of comprehensive strategies for managing infectious diseases, particularly those disproportionately affecting Māori is the aim. This includes cultivating a deeper understanding of the effects of such diseases on Māori whānau, hapū and iwi, within a broader context of te ao Māori and within the colonial constructs which currently inhibit wellbeing for whānau Māori.
Te Hiraga a Rangahau I Research Impact
The project's impact, underpinned by the concept of "Ngā kawenga i Rangiātea", is broad and all-encompassing, reflecting a holistic view of health and well-being, with the expertise of the research team assisting in channelling the conversation in a manner that is consistent with te ao rangatahi (the youth perspective) and te ao Māori (the Māori worldview).
Central to this is the empowerment of Māori rangatahi. By engaging rangatahi at the heart of the research and response strategies, this kaupapa nurtures future leaders and experts who are culturally grounded and scientifically informed. This approach ensures that the strategies developed resonate and are sustainable for future generations.
Principal Investigators: Janell Dymus-Kurei (Te Whakatōhea)
Tauukiuki Ltd | Ngā Rangatahi-ā-Iwi Kairangahau; Paaniora Matatahi-Poutapu (Waikato) Ngā Rangatahi-ā-Iwi Kairangahau Matua