Abstract
Haumaru Panuku Oranga (HPO) was a Māori-led qualitative research project that sought to understand kaumātua perspectives about their transport needs in Aotearoa New Zealand. This valuable project fell under the umbrella of the longitudinal transport study - New Zealand Prospective Older Adult Transport and Health Study (NZPATHS) led by the University of Otago. Using kaupapa Māori and qualitative methodology, researchers conducted wānanga and face-to-face interviews with fifty kaumātua and whānau from across Aotearoa to gain a better understanding of their unique experiences and needs. Data was collected in both te reo Māori and English and transcribed by te reo Māori speaking transcribers. Findings, developed by Māori-led researchers, have shown that kaumātua (Māori elders) feel forgotten, isolated and are struggling to be part of their own society due to travel constraints. Whānau (family) willingly supply most transport needed for their own kaumātua but were also underserved by the transport system in Aotearoa, especially for kaumātua living rurally. Researchers found an overarching theme of Mana Motuhake (resistance) in the data where kaumātua found ways to resist and circumnavigate systemic issues, a sub theme, that prohibited their access to transport. Kaumātua were conscious of systemic racism and its relationship to transport access, especially where Pākehā have the power in government to fund travel for all but chose not to let these funds reach kaumātua Māori. Kaumātua also resisted the concept of individuality, a second sub theme that underscores transport policy and preferred to be transported with people they knew. Outcomes of this study regarding transport will add to the currently limited body of research about kaumātua Māori and transport in Aotearoa.