Puao-te-Ata-tu and Māori social work methods

Abstract

This research project critically engages with Māori social workers in order to develop an understanding of their practice methods and to ascertain whether they have changed since the 1980's. This will include a particular focus on the influences of the Puao-te-Ata-tu report (1986) on Māori practice methods and the perspectives of Māori social workers within social service organisations. Kaupapa Māori research and Qualitative methods inform this research project. Eight Māori social workers are interviewed and their discourses are examined in relation to the changing cultural, political and economic enviroment in the 1980's. The findings show that Māori social work methods are underpinned by tikanga Māori and that these have not changed significantly since the 1980's. The Puao-te-Ata-tu report was also found to be highly influential to Māori social work in general, however it did not have a direct effect on the practice methods of Māori social workers. The research project concludes with recommendations from both the participants and the researcher. These recommendations lay emphasis on the importance of educational institutions and social service organisations implementing the Puao-te-Ata-tu report and tikanga as a means of improving services for Māori.