Primer objetivo específico

In contrast Māori-centred research, while still promoting an agenda of change and transformation, apparently does not demand of its proponents such a whole-hearted capture by the community. The term “Māori centred” was coined at the Hui Whakapiripiri in 1996 by Mason Durie to distinguish a particular approach to health research that differed from western medical models. At that time he noted that Māori health research differed from medical research and other health research in being primarily concerned with the health of Māori people and in that respect took “full cognisance of Māori culture, Māori knowledge and contemporary Māori realities”.

Durie (1996) noted three developments in particular that have accelerated a Māori- centred approach in Māori health research:

the world-wide move by indigenous people towards self-determination and greater autonomy;

New Zealand’s reaffirmed commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi in the 1980s and the subsequent inclusion of the Treaty in various pieces of legislation and in the policy frameworks adopted by Ministries; and

the recognition by 1980 that Māori worldviews and Māori understandings of knowledge were unique and distinctive.

According to Durie (1996) world-wide efforts by indigenous peoples towards self- determination have resulted in debates about intellectual ownership, community control, participation and partnership in research. As Māori have struggled to assert their rights to determine their own future in their own ways, so too have other indigenous nations struggled with the same issues. In the area of health research Māori have voiced their demands for greater partnership. It is from these struggles and debates that new ways of approaching health research have emerged.

In the 1980s the Treaty of Waitangi became a visible part of New Zealand’s policy landscape with expectations that health institutions and programmes would reflect the principles of the Treaty and acknowledge Māori as the indigenous people of New Zealand (Durie 1996). The environment created from these expectations, particularly in

the decade of Māori Development, supported forays by Māori into health provision as well as into health research. As Māori became more involved in health, health service provision and health research there was a growing realisation that Māori worldviews were distinctive. This in turn prompted Māori to develop models which would assist in conveying their perspective to non-Māori working in the field. The development of health research models, such as a Māori centred approach, was a means of articulating Māori ways of knowing to a wider audience.

Like kaupapa Māori research, Māori-centred research deliberately places Māori people and the Māori experience at the centre of the research activity (Durie 1996). However, unlike kaupapa Māori research the locus of control is not with the community. This distinction was identified by Cunningham as the term ‘Māori-centred’ was further developed into a taxonomy of Māori research; a taxonomy based primarily on the degree of Māori involvement and control in a specific research project (Cunningham 2000). According to Cunningham, Māori-centred research has several defining characteristics: namely, that Māori are more likely to be involved at all levels of the research (i.e. as participants, researchers and analysts); that Māori data will be collected; that Māori analysis is applied; and, as a result that Māori knowledge is produced (Cunningham 2000). Māori-centred research is not value-free; instead the values that permeate the research are culturally determined. The ultimate aim of Māori-centred research is the enhancement or improvement of the Māori position (Cunningham 2000).

Key principles central to a Māori-centred research approach include "whakapiki tangata (enablement or empowerment), whakaurunga (integration), and Mana Māori (Māori control)" (Durie 1996, p.6). The principle of enablement applies to researchers and participants alike. It means that as a consequence of participating in a research activity, either a community’s health status should improve or it should be better positioned to take control of its own health or both (Durie 1996). Moreover, the way these improvements are measured should be meaningful to the community and not be imposed from without.

Whakaurunga or integration refers to the integration of the research approach with a Māori worldview. Māori health research needs to be aware of the links between socio-

economic status, culture, history and health. A Māori-centred approach takes an expansive view of health; a holistic view; it seeks to understand a condition or situation in light of these interwoven determinants of health.

The concept of Mana Māori is related to tino rangatiratanga and Māori self- determination. In Māori-centred research Mana Māori refers to the importance of control in the research process, of responsibility for caring for the data and of guardianship of the knowledge the research generates. Mana Māori ensures any Māori- centred research programme is run ethically and in keeping with Māori customs and values.

Kingi (2002) postulated a series of research principles to provide a theoretical framework for research in Māori mental health. These principles provided the theoretical underpinning for his study and were derived from the writings of a number of academics and Māori health researchers. He argued that it was possible to undertake research which adopts a Māori-centred approach from within a kaupapa Māori paradigm. His six principles are:

That the investigation should reflect a Māori world view and be conducted in a manner consistent with those views. Māori values, traditions and cultural practices should underpin the process;

That the investigation while meeting rigorous academic standards, should encourage gains in Māori mental health;

That Māori research methodologies should be used as appropriate, however this does not preclude other methodologies, providing they are not inconsistent with the values and methods of kaupapa Māori research;

That Māori must be actively involved in the research process, in a spirit of partnership between researcher and participants;

That the manner in which the information is stored and protected is important, particularly the safeguarding of information of cultural significance; and

That to be of value, research information must be made available to Māori and mechanisms developed to ensure Māori access to the research findings. (Kingi 2002)

These six research principles resonate with my own values in conducting this research. However, where Kingi argued his research adopts a Māori-centred approach from

within a kaupapa Māori paradigm, in this research elements of kaupapa Māori and

Māori centred research overlap and inform each other. In this thesis I assume that a Māori research paradigm, a basic set of beliefs which the researcher brings to the research, can be articulated for this particular research project. The paradigm can be inclusive of both the kaupapa Māori and Māori centred approaches to health research without detracting from the ideals and values of either. The two approaches are neither exclusive nor superior to the other, but merely parts of a greater paradigm that is Māori research.