How can schools and organisations in Aotearoa measure wellbeing? And how can models of health and wellbeing that draw on mātauranga Māori help them do this?
Hei whakaarotanga: Engaging with models of health and wellbeing that draw on mātauranga Māori is a new paper from NZCER that explores a range of health and wellbeing models that draw on mātauranga Māori that have been used at individual, collective, and population levels in Aotearoa New Zealand.
It begins by conceptualising health and wellbeing from Māori and Western perspectives, as well as the underlying philosophies that drive different views on wellbeing. It then considers how non-Māori can approach Māori models of wellbeing with care and respect, working reflexively to engage with wellbeing and te ao Māori without stepping into the space of re-colonisation. Māori must be key partners in this work.
The paper introduces models of wellbeing that draw on aspects of mātauranga Māori which, in this context, we describe as key concepts and understandings from te ao Māori. Some are fully grounded in te ao Māori, others braid together mātauranga Māori and Western knowledge, and all conceptualise wellbeing in holistic, inclusive ways that are not often prioritised in Western models. The models discussed in this paper are:
- Te Whare Tapa Whā (Durie, 1994)
- Te Wheke (Pere, 1991, 1997)
- The Mana Model (Webber & Macfarlane, 2020)
- Te Pae Māhutonga (Durie, 1999)
- The Meihana Model (Pitama et al., 2014)
- Ngā Tuakiri o te Tangata (Terry, 2005)
- He Ara Oranga (Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, 2022)
- Te Kupenga (Statistics NZ, 2013)
- Whānau Rangatiratanga (SUPERU, 2016)
- Te Puawaitanga o ngā Whānau (Kingi et al., 2016)
The wider intention of this paper is to support and prompt groups to be good partners under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and consider how they can measure wellbeing in ways that are meaningful to Māori and non-Māori. We encourage groups to reflect on how using models of health and wellbeing that draw on mātauranga Māori can assist them to uphold the cultural, political, and social responsibilities implicit in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.