From the rākau to the ngākau

In pursuit of authentic and reliable research partnerships, experiences, and findings

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26686/nzaroe.v26.6900

Keywords:

research, collaboration, Māori, wellbeing

Abstract

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) in Aotearoa New Zealand has funded 11 National Science Challenges (NSC), which aim to tackle a series of big questions affecting wellbeing in society. One Challenge, A Better Start: E Tipu E Rea, is investigating four key focus areas that children encounter in their early development and is seeking to identify the factors that contribute to forming a solid foundation for fostering wellbeing and lifelong success. Central to the principles of this Challenge is the Treaty of Waitangi in that the Treaty provides a framework to guide whānau engagement, policy change, and praxis. This article describes how a ‘ngākau’ rather than a ‘rākau’ approach to shaping research inquiry within this Challenge facilitates more authentic and mana-enhancing whānau engagement in research interactions (Macfarlane, 2019). The development of a whānau questionnaire is drawn on to illustrate the ngākau approach in practice.

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Author Biographies

Melissa Derby, University of Waikato

Melissa Derby (Ngāti Ranginui) is a Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Waikato, Tauranga. She completed her PhD at the University of Canterbury, and her study was part of A Better Start National Science Challenge. Melissa's primary area of research is in early literacy, and in particular, she explores the role of whānau and localised curriculum in fostering foundational literacy skills. More generally, she has an interest in Māori education and success. Her scholarship has been recognised through a range of awards, including a Fulbright-Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Graduate Award, a SAGE Young Writer’s Award, and a Falling Walls Award from the Royal Society of New Zealand.

Sonja Macfarlane, University of Canterbury

Sonja Macfarlane (Ngāi Tahu; Ngāti Waewae) is a Practice and Implementation Adviser (Māori Focus) at the Ministry of Education, and is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Canterbury. The focus of her research and writing is on culturally responsive evidence-based approaches in education, health, psychology, and counselling. Her work has been widely published in leading research journals, both nationally and internationally, and she has been the recipient of several national awards in recognition of her contributions to Māori research over many years.  In 2019, Sonja was made a Fellow of the New Zealand Psychological Society.

References

Bishop, R. (1996). Whakawhanaungatanga: Collaborative research stories. Dunmore Press.

Durie, M. (1994). Whaiora: Māori health development. Oxford University Press.

Gillon, G., Macfarlane, S., & Derby, M. (2017, February). Bringing Māori constructs into a National Science Challenge. Presentation at the Indigenous Research and Education: Creating Change Forum, 16-17 February, Abercrombie Business School, University of Sydney.

Macfarlane, A. (2019). Engaging parents, whānau and hapori. In Ako: The journal for educational professionals. Winter 2019, p. 38.

Macfarlane, S., & Derby, M. (2018). From the rākau to the ngākau: Exploring authentic approaches to leadership, policy, and pedagogy. Ipu Kererū: Blog of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE).

https://nzareblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/26/rakau-ngakau/

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Published

2021-07-01

Issue

Vol. 26 (2020): New Zealand Annual Review of Education

Section

Articles

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