Understanding Pacific worldviews: principles and connections for research

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this article, we identify the commonly shared principles that underpin Pacific worldviews. A focused literature review was conducted, concentrated on research by Pacific scholars and experts. The context for the review was to inform and guide a multidisciplinary team, led by the University of Otago, on the nexus between public housing and urban regeneration, and wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand. With Pacific peoples accounting for 26 percent of public housing tenancies in 2022 Kāinga Ora et al. [2023]. Fale mo Aiga Pacific Housing Strategy 2030. file:///C:/Users/thoma81p/Downloads/4208-Fale-mo-Aiga_Placemat-6_0.pd), we considered it imperative that Pacific perspectives be integrated into the methodological approach of the research programme. Five recurring principles were identified from 86 texts, published between 1990 and 2023 in peer reviewed journals and grey literature. They included holistic systems; the collective family; spirituality; Pacific peoples’ connection with the natural world, denoted as guardianship and stewardship; and the theory of space and time and relational relationships, embodied in the Samoan and Tongan concept of Te Vā. These principles sit alongside the Whakawhanaungatanga Māori Wellbeing Model and other frameworks (Te Ao Māori, Māturanga Māori, and Māori Sustainability) developed by the Māori Strand. Notwithstanding the primary purpose of this research, the intention of this article is to share our findings more broadly. Some Pacific Words Aiga, kāinga, vuvale, whāmere (family); fale (Samoan house); lau-kafa (Tokelauan word for sennit); paopao (Tokelauan word for outrigger canoe); pou (Samoan word for posts holding up a building); tapa/ngatu (Tongan and pan-Pacific word for bark cloth); te feke (Tuvaluan word for octopus); te kora (Kiribati word for making string from soft dried coconut fibres called binoka); talanoa (talk or discussion, telling of stories); tivaevae (Cook Island weaving of quilts); ula (Samoan word crafting of garlands and necklaces); Vā, La-Vā, Te Vā, Tauhi Va, Teu le va (theory of space and time and relational relationships).