2.1 Kaupapa Māori psychology: approaches to wellbeing
Before learning about approaches to health and wellbeing developed in Indigenous Māori psychology, read the box below to learn more about Kaupapa Māori research.
Kaupapa Māori research
The Māori are the Indigenous people of what is now known as Aotearoa New Zealand (Aotearoa is the Māori name and New Zealand is the English name). The country was officially colonised by the British in 1840 with the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. This was an agreement between the British and a majority of Māori chiefs, stating that Māori people would have full citizen rights and be recognised as landowners. The exact meaning of the treaty is contested as the rights granted can be interpreted differently in the English and Māori versions (Rochford, 2004). The fulfilment of this treaty remains a live political issue, as the subsequent century saw Māori people lose much of their land and face suppression of their culture and language. The 1950s onwards saw the emergence of a political movement to improve Māori rights and restore Māori language and culture.
Māori-centred research, theory and practice has developed in several fields in Aotearoa New Zealand from the 1980s onwards, including psychology. Nikora (2007) described how earlier research looking at Māori culture and experience tended to be from an outsider perspective, being about Māori people rather than by them. One danger of this was that Māori experiences were compared to Pākehā (European-heritage New Zealander) norms, and consequently were often seen as deficient or problematic.
A research approach which instead starts with Māori experience and perspectives as the norm and is driven by Māori people is known as Kaupapa Māori research. ‘Kaupapa’ means a set of principles or plan on which to base action, a practical philosophy or an agenda. So, Kaupapa Māori means that the research or practice in question is guided by Māori ways of thinking and being. Kaupapa Māori psychology is a thriving field in several universities in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Kaupapa Māori approaches have been influential in many fields and adopted into government policy and practice in some areas.
Activity 6
Watch Video 2 and then answer the three questions that follow. Note that the speakers in the video use a number of words from te reo Māori, the Māori language. Below are some of the words that are used, with English explanations for what they mean in the context in which they are being used.
| Māori | English |
| Kaupapa | Principles and practices |
| Whakapapa (pronounced ‘fakapapa’) | Genealogy, family history, connection to ancestors and places where ancestors came from |
| Iwi | Tribe or people, extended family connections |
| Mātauranga Māori | Traditional Māori knowledge and cultural ways of thinking |
| Oriori, waiata, haka | Traditional Māori songs (oriori and waiata) and dances (haka). Oriori in particular are part of storytelling, preserving and passing on Māori culture |
- What is Kaupapa Māori psychology?
- What is the importance of relationships in Kaupapa Māori psychology? You might want to think about some of the Māori words used by the speakers in the video, and how those concepts influence Kaupapa Māori psychology.
- What implications does this approach have for wellbeing, healing and therapy? You might think here about some of the example projects discussed in the video.
Discussion
- You may have noted down that Kaupapa Māori psychology is described as being ‘by Māori for Māori’ – an approach to understanding psychology which is rooted in the Māori world view and uses Māori concepts. You may also have noted that Kaupapa Māori psychology is more than a theory; it is also a practical approach to working with people, communities and solving everyday problems. Some issues highlighted in the interviews include homelessness and poverty which Linda Waimarie Nikora describes as ‘survival’.
- You may have noted down that Kaupapa Māori psychology views people as being interconnected with their environment – both with other people and the natural world. The importance of viewing people as interconnected was talked about in terms of respect, meaning a respect for others and the environments in which people live. This in turn was discussed as underpinning a commitment to leaving the world in a better state for the next generation. Several of the Māori words used reflect this, such as the importance of a person’s whakapapa as part of their identity. This includes how Māori introduce themselves to new people, which typically includes saying which iwi they belong to. The sharing of stories, songs, dances and rituals as part of both preserving mātauranga Māori and using them in practice to help people’s wellbeing (e.g. working with grief and loss) also highlights the importance of relationships and a connected way of thinking about people.
- You may have thought about some of the examples given in the video. One is the ‘Family 100’ project (e.g. Hodgetts et al., 2014), where families receiving welfare were given food for a year and were found to thrive. This is given as an example of providing services which are caring rather than punitive. It is also an example of trying to build on people’s strengths and capacities, as discussed by Shiloh Groot. In this case, the approach of the project was to give families sufficient food, rather than to focus on fixing problems which can emerge from not having enough food – such as reduced school attendance. More generally, you may have noted down that this approach sees wellbeing, therapy and healing as happening with other people, and being rooted in relationships with others. This is a way of saying that wellbeing is not only something that individuals have but is a reflection of the strength and health of relationships between people as well.
Kaupapa Māori psychology is an example of psychology theory and practice that has been developed from a non-European cultural base. Psychologies from around the world, grown from multiple cultural standpoints, have become more respected in recent years. The discipline is still, however, largely dominated by a European and North American worldview. In the next section you will explore why this is, and what problems it might present for our understanding of human psychology.
OpenLearn - Psychology around the world
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