Abstract
Kaupapa Māori is an emancipatory theory that has been a normal frame of reference in Arianna’s upbringing. Arianna is a by-product of the Kōhanga Reo and Māori language movements and with this applied lens, will share insights into the landscape of building meaningful relationships with indigenous communities. She will canvas the challenges and opportunities as we move towards a social change agenda within the University of Otago.
In is well evidenced that Māori have often been the subject of unilateral research carried out by non-indigenous people, the results of which range from minimal material impact on community wellbeing, to being actively detrimental. There is an opportunity here to take stock of our own positionality as people who care deeply about making a difference within our most valuable populations, synergise Māori and western knowledge in approaching community engagement, being aligned with core Māori values and enabling whānau to take a core role in telling their stories, their way. This will lead to a shift from transactional forms of research to meaningful community advancement.
Kaupapa Māori thinking and research operates out of a collective philosophical base and is guided by practices that reflect a Māori code of conduct (tikanga Māori). Arianna will discuss how we might operationalise the way we work to benefit our most valuable populations. At the heart of the work are questions we need to firstly interrogate in ourselves and in others working to develop and sustain a sense of Mauri Ora (wellbeing) within our people and communities. Arianna will share some of her experiences working to make a difference for her whānau, iwi and community. Realising the power that is held within indigenous epistemologies will create space to re-imagine how we might incorporate and integrate cultural practices across the landscape of sexual violence prevention work.