MĈoriepistemicinnovationdrawsonthebroadandongoingscholastictraditionthat brought MĈoripeopleacross theworld’slargestoceaninorderlymigrations (RanginuiWalker,1990),andensuredthatwenotonlysurvivedbutthrivedinan extremelydifferentphysicalenvironment. Thissuccesswasmarkedbysteady growthinpopulation,changesinlinguisticpatterns,complexsocialstructures, technological innovation, environmental adaptation and robust health and wellbeing,developingoverhundredsofyears(Belich,1996;A.Salmond,1991).A MĈori episteme remains the oldest ontology on these islands, however its emergenceinsitesofWesternacademiaismorerecent,andisencapsulatedinthe developmentof“KaupapaMĈorimethodology”(RBishop&Glynn,1999;Crametal., 2006;Pihama,2001a;Pihamaetal.,2002;G.Smith,1997;L.T.Smith,1999).While KaupapaMĈorimethodologyisacontinuationofastrongknowledgetradition,its positionisacrucialresponsetoinequitabledistributionsofpower,privilegeand
socialstatusthatMĈorihavebeensubjectedtobyNewZealandsocietyingeneral, andtheacademyinparticular.KaupapaMĈoriwas,inthissense,developedasa responsetowhiteprivilegeproducedbysettlercolonialism,andasawayforMĈori, assubjectsofresearchandincreasinglyasresearchandprofessionalpractitionersto claimasafespacetovoiceourowntruthsonourownterms.
“KaupapaMĈoriis,therefore,aresponsetothecolonisationofourlandsand
theimpositionofwaysofbeingthatarenotourown.Itisawayofturning
ourgazebackontothecoloniserwhen,forsolong,theirgazehasbeenonus
inanattempttomakeusmorelikethem.Inthisway,KaupapaMĈoriisan
attempttoretrievespaceforMĈorivoicesandperspectives,methodologies
andanalyses,wherebyMĈorirealitiesandknowledgeareseenaslegitimate.
ThismeanscenteringteaoMĈori”(Pihama,1993,citedinCram,2006).
Theabilityofindigenousepistemologicalframeworks,suchasKaupapaMĈori,to enableandlegitimiseindigenousinquiryinanyfieldepitomisesthepotentialof scholasticinnovationenvisionedbyitsearlytheorists.Theareasofresearchtowhich theseframeworkshavebeenappliedtendtobeofimmediateanddirectimportance tothewellbeingofMĈoripeople.Theyincluderightstoland,languageandculture andrepresentthecommonpathwaysofapplicationofKaupapaMĈoriepistemology, theoryandresearchdesign.ThemoretravelledpathwaysofKaupapaMĈoriresearch havesecuredimportantgainsforMĈori,particularlyinthefieldsofeducationand health.
AspointedoutbyPihamaabove,KaupapaMĈoriisinherentlyinvolvedwiththe directionofaMĈori‘gaze’and,inthisway,thereismuchsupportforKaupapaMĈori asadecolonisingtoolthatreorientsthegazeandclaimsspaceforMĈorivoicesand analysesoftheworldaroundus. Thisframing,whilebeingofbenefitinthe developmentalstagesofKaupapaMĈorimethodologyandfundamentaltothe funding paradigms within which MĈori research is supported, is becoming increasinglynuanced.KaupapaMĈorimethodologieshaveoftenbeendefinedby thewaystheyareseenasdistinctfrommainstreamresearch(H.MoewakaBarnes, 2000,2006).ThishastendedtohomogeniseMĈoripositionsasasingle‘authentic’
orientation;themoredifferentitisfrom‘mainstream’(i.e.,thePĈkehĈworld),the moreitseemstobelegitimised(H.MoewakaBarnes,2008). MĈoridiversity (economic,socialandcultural)canthenbepositionedasanauthenticityproblem thatperpetuatesPĈkehĈpower,ratherthanacomplexreflectionofvibrant,selfͲ determininggroupsengagedinongoingjourneysofadvancement,developmentand adaptationthatreflectthecurrentenvironment.
While“byMĈori,forMĈori”makesexplicittheinvolvementofMĈoriasresearchers andusersofresearchfindingsandanybenefitsthatmayensue,thesubjectsofthese activities remain largelyindigenouscommunitieswho are oftenframed asa populationin‘need’.Whilethishasbeencriticalforindigenousdevelopment,ithas alsogivenrisetoquestionsaboutthenatureofKaupapaMĈoriresearchifMĈoriare notthesubjectofthegaze.Inthisinstance,aresearchprojectonPĈkehĈprivilege thatappliedindigenousparadigmsbutinvolvedfewMĈoriresearchersandalmost noMĈoriparticipantsposesachallengetothemeaning,useandanyclaimͲmaking onemightmakeofKaupapaMĈoriapproaches.(B.Borell,2005;H.MoewakaBarnes etal.,2014).Shiftingthegazeinthisway–theMĈorigazetowardsthesubjectof PĈkehĈprivilege–maintainsandenforcesdecolonisinganalysesthatempowerand affirmMĈoriunderstandingsoftheworld,whilereaddressingsocietalscrutinyand thevictimblamingdiscoursessooftenassociatedwithit.