Abstract
Kī o Rahi is a taonga tākaro (traditional Māori game) that encapsulates many aspects of Te Ao Māori (Māori world view), including mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge), and tikanga (cultural practices, customs) and supports hauora (a holistic, Māori perspective of health; Brown, 2008). Te Whare Tapa Whā is a Māori health model that encompasses hauora, depicted by a wharenui (meeting house) whereby the four walls represent its core aspects (Durie, 1985a). The four pillars comprise of taha tinana (physical wellbeing), taha whānau (social health), taha wairua (spiritual wellbeing) and taha hinengaro (mental and emotional wellbeing) (Durie, 1985a). While some studies have shown that Kī o Rahi is beneficial for hauora Māori, specifically connecting Māori to their spiritual beliefs and taha wairua (Brown, 2008), as well as strengthening their cultural identity and Māoritanga (Harris, 2016; Palmer et al., 2009), there is limited research that explicitly examines all four aspects of hauora and how Kī o Rahi improves hauora for both Māori and non-Māori. There is also little literature that documents the physiological and movement profile of Kī o Rahi that additionally supports hauora outcomes.
The overarching aim of this research was therefore to explore how engaging in Kī o Rahi influences hauora. Using Te Whare Tapa Whā as a framework (Durie, 1985a), the two research questions that guided this study were: How does engaging in Kī o Rahi influence hauora? And, what are the physiological and movement profiles of Kī o Rahi that may contribute to improved hauora? This research utilised Kaupapa Māori Theory (Smith, 1997; Smith, 2013), which privileges Māori ways of knowing and doing, specifically exploring the principles of Taonga Tuku Iho and Ako Māori. Additionally, I drew on auto-ethnography as a methodology to help position myself as a non-Māori working in this privileged space.
This research used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The primary qualitative method was a questionnaire which was analysed utilising inductive and deductive thematic analysis (using Kaupapa Māori Theory principles: Taonga Tuku Iho and Ako Māori). The quantitative methods included gathering physiological, perceptual and movement measures to characterise the game. The quantitative data were analysed and reported using descriptive statistics which allowed me to characterise Kī o Rahi on a physical level, to further understand how engaging in this tākaro may affect hauora.
The main findings of this research were discussed in four analytical chapters, conveying the main message that Kī o Rahi is a taonga. The first analytical chapter depicted Kī o Rahi as a Taonga Tuku Iho using deductive analysis. This chapter also identified the inductive emergent themes of: whakapapa, tikanga, Te Reo Māori and pūrākau. The second analytical chapter described how Kī o Rahi provides a vehicle for teaching and learning Te Ao Māori, encompassing culturally-preferred pedagogies of whanaungatanga, tuakana – teina and pūrākau. The third analytical chapter characterised the physiological and movement profile of Kī o Rahi, illustrating that this tākaro elicits important physiological stressors to the extent that is valuable for our taha tinana. Kī o Rahi was characterised by: High average heart rate (144 bpm ± 16 bpm, or 75% of age-predicted maximum) and peak heart rate (178 bpm ± 15 bpm, or 94% of age-predicted maximum); total distance covered (2.3 km ± 0.4 km) and mean blood lactate (3.2 mmol ± 1.2 mmol/L). An important finding was also that perceived exertion was generally rated as lower than would typically be expected based on the level of cardiac strain. The fourth analytical chapter provided evidence which demonstrates Kī o Rahi strengthens our hauora, using Te Whare Tapa Whā as a framework.
Fundamentally, the findings of this research contribute to a deeper understanding of Kī o Rahi. Kī o Rahi is a taonga, a cherished treasure from Māori ancestors that enables the transmission of mātauranga from one generation to the next, enhancing all aspects of hauora for Māori and all New Zealanders.