Figure 4 maps out the overall approach that guides the phases of the research process relevant to this study. The overarching methodological values discussed in the previous
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Te Aka – the root, represents the way a life form takes hold to ensure its survival. The words are used in this chapter to symbolise the application of research theory using Maori philosophy, to research practice.
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chapter permeate the framework. The pōwhiri as a model for the process of research20 (shown to the lower left side of Fig 4) is the mechanism by which the values are embedded into the process. Cultural competence (to the lower right side of Fig 4) presumes the researcher is engaged in a process of self reflection and learning, and the overall goal is the attainment of rigorous research.
Figure 4: Methodological and Methods approach for this research
The nature of Whakaeke
The whakaeke comprises a range of activities that are methodically played out as the first phase of a pōwhiri. Though a pōwhiri is often formal and sometimes elaborate, in actual fact, the process provides sign posts for the way people should conduct themselves with each other on a daily basis. Typically, visitors group themselves together at a gateway or other point designated for them, where they can visualise the host and they simply wait. By way of a karanga (call), a woman from the host side signals to the visitors to advance toward them onto the marae ātea (forecourt). A woman from the visiting group responds to the karanga in a similar manner, and women from both sides engage in an emotional exchange of salutations and acknowledgements.
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The pōwhiri model is informed by a talk given by Professor Mason Durie to the Te Rau Puawai mentor programme at Massey University, Palmerston North, 2008, when he described the application of kawa to the care of whānau.
Methodological Principles: Turangawaewae, Whanaungatanga, Mauri Pōwhiri Methods Model Case Study
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The karanga can be a spine tingling spectacle to behold, that commands the attention of all present, symbolic of generations of ancestors who have conducted the very same practice. There is no restriction on the number of kaikaranga (callers) or the length of time that the exchange takes place. Generally though, they will acknowledge the kaupapa (reason for the groups meeting), their dead ancestors and the groups’ connections.
The onus of power in a pōwhiri sits with the host group, because the pōwhiri assumes the kawa of the host side. It is common for the host to accommodate their visitors to be able to meet the demands of their protocol and attention to detail ensures that visitors are not demeaned, by not being able to meet those demands.
Preparation leading up to the whakaeke requires negotiation and planning and the terms of reference are defined by kawa.
Applying Whakaeke to Research Methods
The research process requires the same forethought, planning and negotiation as the whakaeke. Attention to detail ensures there is a smooth progression of the research process because each aspect of the process interrelates and has implications for the next. The first part of the whakaeke or tūnga ki te tomokanga makes reference to the period of a pōwhiri when the visiting group waits to advance toward their host. In research, this is a period of time when research is literally ‘in-waiting’ while a number of preparatory matters are attended to, and for this study such matters included the development of a project proposal; an ethics application to scrutinise the research project; a literature review to canvas current knowledge of decision making; identification of potential whānau participants for the study; consideration of my own credibility in the chosen area of research as well as my preparedness to carry out the work; identification of research supervisors, and funding to support the work involved.
Cultural Competence
In light of the cultural competence framework described earlier in the thesis, I employed a number of strategies to develop my preparedness to work with whānau participants. It was important to have counsel with my own whānau. Two reasons for doing so were to get their guidance about contact with other whānau, and to seek permission to use the
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intellectual property of my iwi described in this thesis, because iwi knowledge is not the sole property of one person.
I also attended a range of seminars and conferences to identify the Māori health research community locally and nationally. As a health professional who was educated and worked in a discipline dominated by non-Māori colleagues, I had had very little exposure to the Māori health research environment. It was important that I understood who the Māori research community was and what kind of research had been, and was being done.
I actively searched for the range of research conducted around indigenous people, decision making and genetics both in New Zealand and internationally, in order to position this study within the wider research environment. I also gave a presentation of my proposed research to supervisors and peers within my own university, all of whom are Māori health researchers.
Supervisors for this thesis are Māori. They have a mix of academic, professional and cultural expertise in Māori philosophy, health service, health research, science, law, ethics and indigenous politics. The supervisors have whakapapa to different iwi and it was important that they are familiar with the area being researched, of academic processes, and diverse realities of Māori society. The benefit of Māori supervisors is that they have a range of experiences of being Māori, which informed my decision making for the conduct of this research.
In keeping with the tradition of a pōwhiri, participants of the research were considered to be the host for the study, and as such, the kawa of each whānau prevailed. I approached each whānau with confidence that they would accommodate the needs of the research and as there were three whānau involved, it was deliberately anticipated that three approaches to the methods may be necessary. In reality, engagement with whānau was relatively simple to arrange and although there was some variation in the time and setting for interviews, subtle differences did not present major obstacles.
Funding and Ethics
The study was funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the major Crown funding agent for health research. As a Crown funded research project, the application of the Treaty to the philosophy and practice of this research was considered
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paramount because participants of this research are descendants of Māori signatories to the Treaty.
The project was also reviewed by Massey University Human Ethics Committee (HEC: PN Application – 05/99). Every attempt was made to uphold the University’s Code of Ethical Conduct for Research (Massey University: Te Kunenga Ki Purehuroa, 2006). The participants’ rights under The Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers Rights (Health & Disability Commissioner, 1996), are also acknowledged.