Abstract
Manaakitanga is acknowledged as a foundational Te Ao Māori value, construct and tikanga that underpins relationships. This research thesis sought an in-depth understanding of manaakitanga as it is understood and practiced by experienced Māori social workers, and the relevance of this to indigenous social work practice development and competency to practice social work with Māori.
This exploration into the development of indigenous social work practice development with Māori, by Māori, and for Māori, is grounded in a Kaupapa Māori methodology and theoretical approach, using qualitative interpretive data collection and analysis methods. One to one semi structured in-depth interviews with eight experienced Māori social work practitioners were used to gather the data, which was then thematically analysed to inform the findings.
The findings of my research conclude that the influences on practitioners’ understanding and application of manaakitanga to their social work practice is founded in He Ngākau Māori –the Māori heart. It reaffirms manaakitanga is inherently tied to mana and contributes to the development of Mana-enhancing social work practice theory. For its’ integrity in social work practice to be assured, manaakitanga as a relational construct of a Māori worldview cannot be seen in isolation from the context in which it is founded. This research also identified several constraints that suppress manaakitanga, the addressing of which will encourage the expression of manaakitanga in Te Mahi Whakamana - Mana-enhancing social work practice.
Finally, I conclude with the beginnings of a tentative exploration of Mana Tangata as the contextualised expression for a social worker who is competent to practice social work with Māori.