Over the past 2 years I have had the honour of working with Drs Naomi Simmonds and Waikaremoana Waitoki, with Te Kotahi Research Institute (https://www.waikato.ac.nz/rangahau/) on a small research project funded by Cure Kids and the Better Start National science challenge. The research ‘Te Taonga o taku Ngākau’ is a part of a wider commitment that many Māori people have undertaken to contribute to the positive and supportive transmission of mātauranga Māori towards wellbeing for tamariki and their whole whānau. As such it is a part of a whānau ora aspiration. Whānau ora in this context is not about policy or programmes but is about our inherent desire for wellbeing within our whānau.
‘Te Taonga o taku Ngākau’ is a Kaupapa Māori research project that situates the wellbeing of tamariki Māori within the context of well and thriving whānau. The purpose of the research was to consider frameworks, values and actions for whānau transformation that exist within mātauranga Māori as share by whānau ourselves. Importantly, the research seeks to share ways in which whānau generate, through purposeful action, wellbeing from within mātauranga and tikanga Māori.
This blog is to share the Te Taonga o taku Ngākau report. It is a report that synthesizes the research with a specific view to prioritizing the voices, experiences, knowledges and practices of the research community that have shared their taonga with the research team. Please feel free to download and share.
Ngā manaakitanga.