title: Te whakahaumanu i ngā taonga takatāpui: Belonging and thrivance for takatāpui

authors: Ngātai-Tautuku, Te Aorere

subjects: takatāpui

abstract: This thesis celebrates takatāpui belonging and thrivance; created by, with and for takatāpui. It is carefully crafted with an abundance of love for this community to which I belong. Informed by the overarching conceptual framework of Te Pū o te Rākau (pūrākau) methodology (Lee-Morgan, 2019), this thesis follows pūrākau of how takatāpui and queer Māori identify and express belonging and thrivance. The intention of this study is to privilege the voices and lived experiences of people who have been consistently subject to the systematic dehumanisation of Western research conventions.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, anti-Māori racism, homophobia and transphobia have risen exponentially in Aotearoa, spurring an increase in aggressive violent attacks on marginalised communities. It is progressively evident that the fundamental right to tino rangatiratanga affirmed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi to express self-determination has failed to be honoured (Came et al., 2024; Mutu, 2011a). Therefore, it is paramount within this rangahau to give power to and centralise the voices of takatāpui as they express their experiences of belonging. 

Drawing upon the springs of mātauranga takatāpui  (re)generated by takatāpui academics, this rangahau is firmly grounded within a takatāpui worldview. Adapted elements from Te Pū o te Rākau methodological framework are implemented in this rangahau to (re)affirm the importance of takatāpui voices and interdependent relationships. Experienced through the ritualistic ceremony of wānanga, informed by Kaupapa Māori tenet - titiro, whakarongo… kōrero – I facilitated a wānanga for a group of kaipūrākau to share their pūrākau at Te Kohinga Mārama marae. Throughout the wānanga the kaipūrākau shared hilarious, heartwarming and painful pūrākau about their lived experiences as Indigenous queer people navigating a settler-colonial Western society and their encounters with belonging. These precious pūrākau are then translated into key themes that communicate the findings of this rangahau, that are described as Whanaungatanga, Tuakiritanga, Mana Motuhake and Te Hari Te Koa.

text: Te whakahaumanu i ngā taonga takatāpui: Belonging and thrivance for takatāpui This thesis celebrates takatāpui belonging and thrivance; created by, with and for takatāpui. It is carefully crafted with an abundance of love for this community to which I belong. Informed by the overarching conceptual framework of Te Pū o te Rākau (pūrākau) methodology (Lee-Morgan, 2019), this thesis follows pūrākau of how takatāpui and queer Māori identify and express belonging and thrivance. The intention of this study is to privilege the voices and lived experiences of people who have been consistently subject to the systematic dehumanisation of Western research conventions.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, anti-Māori racism, homophobia and transphobia have risen exponentially in Aotearoa, spurring an increase in aggressive violent attacks on marginalised communities. It is progressively evident that the fundamental right to tino rangatiratanga affirmed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi to express self-determination has failed to be honoured (Came et al., 2024; Mutu, 2011a). Therefore, it is paramount within this rangahau to give power to and centralise the voices of takatāpui as they express their experiences of belonging. 

Drawing upon the springs of mātauranga takatāpui  (re)generated by takatāpui academics, this rangahau is firmly grounded within a takatāpui worldview. Adapted elements from Te Pū o te Rākau methodological framework are implemented in this rangahau to (re)affirm the importance of takatāpui voices and interdependent relationships. Experienced through the ritualistic ceremony of wānanga, informed by Kaupapa Māori tenet - titiro, whakarongo… kōrero – I facilitated a wānanga for a group of kaipūrākau to share their pūrākau at Te Kohinga Mārama marae. Throughout the wānanga the kaipūrākau shared hilarious, heartwarming and painful pūrākau about their lived experiences as Indigenous queer people navigating a settler-colonial Western society and their encounters with belonging. These precious pūrākau are then translated into key themes that communicate the findings of this rangahau, that are described as Whanaungatanga, Tuakiritanga, Mana Motuhake and Te Hari Te Koa.

year: 2025-06-19

title: Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui river claims settlement) Bill – the endless quest for justice

authors: Te Aho, Linda

abstract: Linda Te Aho continues her review of the new legal framework for Te Awa Tupua (the Whanganui River system) as part of the settlement of historical claims by Whanganui iwi about the Whanganui River.

text: Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui river claims settlement) Bill – the endless quest for justice Linda Te Aho continues her review of the new legal framework for Te Awa Tupua (the Whanganui River system) as part of the settlement of historical claims by Whanganui iwi about the Whanganui River.

year: 2016-08

title: Engaging in research with Pacific communities as a non-Pacific researcher: reflecting on lessons learnt

authors: Flavell, Margaret

abstract: A key challenge for the cross-cultural researcher is how to maintain authenticity in the stories of participants, paying careful attention to any inherent power imbalances. In this article, we share our respective experiences of conducting research with Pacific students and their families in Aotearoa New Zealand as non-Pacific researchers. We discuss tensions we encountered regarding power and positionality, highlighting the importance of engaging with Pacific perspectives and methodologies to help counter these tensions. In our respective studies, we aimed to promote the voices of our participants and conduct research which prioritised Pacific values. We further appreciated that we must not let our own research agenda override the needs of our participants. We explain why we believe these ideas to be so important and draw tentative conclusions on ways to engage in research with Pacific families based on what we have learnt. The data presented from our respective studies highlight our approaches and present some of the challenges, as well as our efforts to engage in reciprocal, respectful relationships with our participants and their families. We hope that, in sharing our reflections, we may offer some useful insight to other researchers embarking on a similar journey to us.

text: Engaging in research with Pacific communities as a non-Pacific researcher: reflecting on lessons learnt A key challenge for the cross-cultural researcher is how to maintain authenticity in the stories of participants, paying careful attention to any inherent power imbalances. In this article, we share our respective experiences of conducting research with Pacific students and their families in Aotearoa New Zealand as non-Pacific researchers. We discuss tensions we encountered regarding power and positionality, highlighting the importance of engaging with Pacific perspectives and methodologies to help counter these tensions. In our respective studies, we aimed to promote the voices of our participants and conduct research which prioritised Pacific values. We further appreciated that we must not let our own research agenda override the needs of our participants. We explain why we believe these ideas to be so important and draw tentative conclusions on ways to engage in research with Pacific families based on what we have learnt. The data presented from our respective studies highlight our approaches and present some of the challenges, as well as our efforts to engage in reciprocal, respectful relationships with our participants and their families. We hope that, in sharing our reflections, we may offer some useful insight to other researchers embarking on a similar journey to us.

year: 2022