Shakes, Rattles and Roll Outs: The Untold Story of Māori Engagement with Community Recovery, Social Resilience and Urban Sustainability in Christchurch, New Zealand

Abstract

On September 4, 2010 a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Canterbury region of New Zealand, heralding a sequence of earthquakes, which included a fatal 6.2 earthquake centred under Christchurch City on February 22, 2011. In response, local Māori recovery initiatives were collaborative, effective and shaped by cultural values, including the principle ‘aroha nui ki te tangata’ (extend love to all). Disaster sector stakeholders are increasingly recognising the value of community-led initiatives that facilitate social resilience. In contrast, cultural approaches to facilitating community resilience receive minimal acknowledgement. The Māori response to the Christchurch earthquakes and subsequent recovery process constitutes an exemplar of best practice. The Joint Centre for Disaster Research in partnership with the Christchurch Iwi (tribe) Ngāi Tahu, conducted research to identify, and document the ways Māori cultural factors facilitated community resilience in response to the earthquakes. A Māori qualitative research methodology has shaped the community-based participatory research design. Māori research participants views were ascertained though semi-structured and focus group interviews. Dialogical and narrative interviewing approaches were used to foster community engagement, as well as capture Māori understandings and practices associated with disaster management, recovery and resilience. Data analysis drew on social theories, risk perspectives and indigenous epistemological concepts. Analysis of the results suggest that New Zealand's disaster response policies may be enhanced by the integration of Māori approaches to facilitating disaster risk mitigation, community recovery and social resilience. This paper documents the different levels of support that were extended to whānau (families), communities and responding agencies. The cultural principles that underpin the extension of support are examined in relation to Bruno Latour's theories about how technologies shape action and Putnam's ideas on social capital. The impact of cultural support strategies on social resilience is addressed and the relevance to national and local authority disaster recovery strategies outlined.