Constructing research from an indigenous Kaupapa Māori perspective: An example of decolonising research

Literature review
Story-telling narrative interview, Pūrākau
Five step data analysis method
Hui-group interviews

In this article, Mikahere-Hall discusses the Kaupapa Maori research design as it relates to a project with mana wahine (Maori women) and their children. In this study with Maori mothers and their collective experience of intimate partner violence, methods and prinicples are utilized which follow Kaupapa Maori methodology. For Maori women and their families support was offered in the form of counselling, and the research explored whanau (family) experiences and hapu (sub-tribe) and iwi (nation) impacts when it comes to intimate partner violence. Mikahere-Hall employs Kaupapa Maori research as a way to demonstrate care and ethics in Indigenous research.

Kaupapa Maori, tikanga Maori, mana wahine

Mana wahine theory and methodology
Centering Maori women's experiences
Self-determination
Cultural resurgence
Transformative research-assertion of Maori worldview and customs within research design

Interviews with Maori women and mothers
Whanau, hapu, iwi experiences of engagement in research

Findings presented through community-based presentations and feedback given by Indigenous researchers

"Mana Wāhine contextualises the experiences of Māori women from a historical, cultural, political and contemporary standpoint where wāhine Māori get to critique our own experiences as both researcher and research participant" (p. 5)

"Kanohi‐ki‐te‐kanohi methods enable both the researcher and the participants to engage in mutual dialogue that allows for the articulation of communication through verbal and animated forms. It allows people the opportunity to get to know each other's faces and to express themselves through body language and in a culturally nuanced fashion" (p. 8)

Indigenous psychotherapy
qualitative research