Abstract
In 2021, Te Vaka Cook Islands of Dunedin Incorporated (Te Vaka) facilitated a series of workshops exploring concepts of “wellbeing” from a Cook Islands Māori community perspective. Te Vaka represents the main administrative organisation for te ꞌŌire Ōtepoti (a name for the Dunedin-based Cook Islands community) and has led a range of community initiatives. This paper reflects on the planning and delivery of a Te Vaka workshop named te Ora'anga Meitaki 'Iri'irikāpua (te 'Iri'irikapua). The project was funded in partnership with Pacific Trust Otago, a local charitable trust supporting Pacific communities in Dunedin, who suggested the Tīvaevae Method be used to ensure a culturally embedded research approach. Throughout the project, there were strengths and weaknesses in applying the Tīvaevae Method to a very specific demographic and community setting, revealing that perceptions of tīvaevae varied within te ꞌŌire Ōtepoti according to age, gender, and individual experience, and these perceptions ultimately shaped how the Tīvaevae Method was applied in this project. The main outcome of te 'Iri'irikāpua was a shared community-led vision for how wellbeing is understood from the perspective of ꞌŌire Ōtepoti and demonstrates the potential of community-centred and community-initiated research produced by and for the community.