Young Maori Research Articles

Urupa Tautaiao: Young Maori explore ancient burial practices towards sustanable approaches

The turn to indigenous epistemologies is one of the most exciting and revolutionary shifts to happen in the university within the last three decades and is nowadays accelerating in influence in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is bringing with it dynamic new ways of thinking about research and new methodologies for conducting it, a raised awareness of the different kinds of knowledge that indigenous practice can convey and an illuminating body of information about the creative process. Indigenous practice provide access into other ways of knowing, and alternative approaches to conducting and presenting knowledge. This article discusses one Māori project in this context, that is intended to challenge indigenous people to (re) evaluate post-colonial environmentally harmful practices in the death space. The project explores the concept of rangatahi (Māori youth) attitudes to revitalising ancient Māori death practices to inform the development of design intervention aimed to challenge mortuary colonial practices. As such, it is part of a larger research that is supported by Marsden Fund from Royal Society of New Zealand. The project outcome includes the design of modern urupā tautaiao (natural burial) commemoration site, applying technology such as tribal social media platforms regarding death, and GPS mapping of wāhi tapu (sacred sites). Death is highly tapu (sacred) to Māori and requires strict observations of rituals to ensure spiritual safety. The revitalisation of tribal knowledge is not just the prerogative of the elders, the voices of indigenous youth must be heard as they are the future, of the planet and the people. This project contributes to the understanding of research that navigates across philosophical, inter-generational, territorial and community boundaries, evidencing theories and methodologies that inform to culture studies and creative practice.

Care pathways in forensic mental health services in New Zealand

On entering forensic mental health services (FMHS) patients progress along forensic care pathways (FCP) that aim to maximise well-being and reduce risk of reoffending. They progress through high-, medium-, and low-secure psychiatric units with changing care and security needs. There is minimal literature examining FCP or their efficacy. This retrospective study describes the characteristics of patients admitted to an acute FMHS and explores the clinical, sociodemographic, and legal factors that influence FCP progression. Most patients were referred from prison (65.1%) and presented with violent index offending (62.4%) and psychotic disorder (80.6%). Young Maori men with psychosis predominated the forensic population. Logistic regression revealed violent index offending and diagnosis were determinants of following FCP, while violent offending and longer duration of stay were predictive of FCP progression. This study found no reduction in re-hospitalisation rates or inpatient length of stay over a three year follow-up for patients that completed the FCP.

Sustainable prosperity and enterprises for Maori communities in Aotearoa New Zealand: a review of the literature

PurposeThe research in the field of Indigenous peoples and the espousal of their cultural values in the work environment is recognised as being important as a means of overcoming workplace inequities. The purpose of this paper is to examine research about Maori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand that may inform future enterprises for the long-term prosperity of marginalised Indigenous peoples.Design/methodology/approachThis study reviews the literature on unique cultural dynamics of whanau Maori (New Zealand Maori family/community) study practices and the importance of work/home/life balance. Furthermore, it considers strengths-based community enterprises that can lead to sustainable prosperity for Maori.FindingsThe review yielded three theoretical principles that explain mana (sociocultural and psychological well-being), which can be generalised across multiple contexts, with the workplace being one of these contexts. These principles of mana create a contextual match with whanau external realities; an experiential match of a mana empowerment framework that transfers to the study context and an interpersonal understanding of being understood and empowered within the study context.Research limitations/implicationsThe literature review has been limited to research from 2005 onwards and to research that investigates Maori, the Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand. Although the review of the literature has these limitations, the review may be of interest to other studies of Indigenous peoples worldwide.Practical implicationsThe key factors are interwoven, and their importance is considered in relation to the development of positive and supportive environments, which link to job retention, satisfaction and productivity in the workplace for Maori. This, in turn, can have beneficial knock-on effects for not only the New Zealand economy but also more importantly for enhancing sustainable livelihoods for upcoming generations.Social implicationsTied together, these factors are paramount for cultural, social and ecological benefits for nga rangatahi (young Maori adults) and the wider community in the workplace.Originality/valueThe literature review’s value and originality derive from a dearth of recent research on supporting nga rangatahi (young Maori adults) for sustainable prosperity.

Desecration of the Body and the Maori Cultural Invasion: A Perspective in Patricia Grace

The subversion of patriarchal literary forms is an important aspect of postcolonial women’s writing. From Patricia Grace’s example, the young Maori writers somewhat present a socially subversive identity for themselves, telling stories of women who challenge social norms and female stereotypes. Their narratives reflect a strong interest in social issues – issues such as the way power is asserted and distributed in society, issues of legitimate authority, and strategies for effective management. The stories presented by Maori women in their stories are often constructed as social or cultural problems rather than as individual, personal problems. Grace also incorporates this important function of the expression, construction and exploration of a distinct identity of Maori/indigenous women in society. By challenging Western feminism’s basis in liberal humanist thinking and its assumptions of a shared marginality of the gendered individual, Grace puts an emphasis on a common experience of oppression. The mutilation of a female body in her fiction projects an unholy and complicitous dynamics of the male, imperialism, power system, sex, education, and erasure of the Indigenous identity.

Maori and Pacific Islander overrepresentation in the Australian criminal justice system—what are the determinants?

ABSTRACTMaori and Pacific Islanders are heavily overrepresented in the Australian criminal justice system. Despite these circumstances, little is known about the risk factors uniquely underpinning their involvement in criminal behavior. A review of the literature discovered that acculturation stressors, widespread educational disengagement, family and cultural disintegration, job insecurity, economic disadvantage, and social service inaccessibility were prevalent issues among both young Maori and Pacific Islander offenders and their communities. The findings signal the need for culturally tailored interventions that divert young Maori and Pacific Islanders from law-breaking behaviors while reconnecting them with family, culture, education, employment, and prosocial activities. Local efforts to address this significant gap in service delivery have been made and are discussed within.

Horis, neffs and aunties: Social media, language and identity for young Ma-ori in Australia

Abstract With more than 140,000 ‘Mozzies’ (Ma-ori Aussies) living in Australia, people of Ma-ori ancestry constitute Australia’s largest Polynesian ethnic group. One in six of all Ma-ori leave New Zealand (Aotearoa) indefinitely to live and work in Australia. Ma-ori who make this journey encounter difficulties in maintaining cultural traditions, missing extended family (whanau), feelings of difference with both the general population of Australia and Ma-ori back at home, and a variation of expectations of returning home. Many of these issues are expressed in the New Zealand television series The GC (2012) – a Jersey-shore type docu-drama covering the lives of several young Ma-ori based on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. A closer analysis of the members of The GC highlights the diversity of life experiences and cultural understanding amongst them, with agreement not even reached on their self-definition as Mozzies. Similarly, the social media language of young Ma-ori in Australia, when deconstructed, provides a veritable melting-pot of ‘flavours’ and influences. I argue that young Ma-ori Australians provide an important view into the Mozzie experience as they are a large part of the Mozzie population in Australia. Furthermore, they are more likely to experience and question elements of belonging and identity in relation to their Ma-oritanga/culture in the context of an Australian upbringing. Based on a survey of twelve Mozzie participants, I found that Ma-ori language use in social media among them incorporated a mix of English, Ma-ori te reo/Ma-ori language), text-speak and slang, which reflected a similar hybridization of language to that adopted by the young Ma-ori Australian actors on The GC. The aim of this article is to examine this social media language and explore the cultural, generational, technological and social factors influencing its organic growth amongst users. I suggest that this social media language is revealing of the range of experiences of young Ma-ori in Australia – expressing their attempts to maintain close links with Ma-ori culture (Ma-oritanga) and whanau from home, while also establishing a hybridized identity in Australia.

The ‘Inferior’ Sex in the Dominant Race: Feminist Subversions or Imperial Apologies?

Nineteenth-century imperialist discourses constructed European colonisation of indigenous inhabitants as an inevitable and necessary process for the progress of the colonies and the extension of the British Empire. Within this construct, imperialist and patriarchal discourses intersected to construct ‘white women’ in a manner that denied them legitimacy as autonomous individuals but simultaneously positioned them as actors within the imperial endeavour. Recent feminist scholarship has extended this historiography by considering how some women in nineteenth-century New Zealand were complexly positioned as both agents and critics of colonisation, involved in imperial strategies and yet disruptive of practices of cultural assimilation of Maori. This article furthers this scholarship through an illustrative case study of one woman who embodied this complex positioning within patriarchal and imperialist discourses. English-born wife of the first Chief Justice of New Zealand, and outspoken critic of colonial policies associated with government appropriation of Maori land, Mary Ann Martin was actively involved in establishing Anglican training institutions for young Maori men and women, and in dispensing medical assistance to Maori. Examination of her positioning on the margins of imperial discourses offers an opportunity to consider the operation of colonialism as a discourse implicated by gendered, racialised identities. Detailed textual analyses of selected extracts of her reminiscences of her 34-year residence in New Zealand, which focus on her positioning as a member of the ‘inferior’ sex in the dominant race, offer an opportunity to examine the ways in which she simultaneously challenged and reinforced Victorian prescriptions of respectable womanhood; how her views on and interactions with Maori may have destabilised accepted notions of women's appropriate spheres of influence; and the extent to which her challenges to dominant views on race relations may have been inflected by her positioning within gendered discourses of femininity.

Young Maori perceptions of a youth development programme

Project K is a youth development programme that targets young people aged 14–15 years with low self-efficacy. It is run by the Foundation for Youth Development. Story-telling style interviews that asked participants to imagine themselves in a reality television show with different ‘episodes’ were conducted with six Maori Project K participants on the effectiveness of the programme and if and how it works with Maori ‘as Maori’. Results suggested the programme used graded mastery, team work and fun to produce positive outcomes. It also had high expectations of participants, coupled with intense support. Participants described the programme as not particularly attending to them ‘as Maori’, which they generally viewed positively. A workshop was held with key programme staff to analyse the results and formulate an action plan to address areas for improvement. Implications for other programmes that involve indigenous youth are outlined.

Maori Cowboys, Maori Indians

Reflecting on a short story in which two young Maori boys comment after watching a western film that "neither of us wanted to be an Indian," this article explores the layers of complexity inherent to comparative Indigenous studies. Maori engagement with the visual cultures of Cowboys and Indians suggests that Indigenous-Indigenous connection can itself be articulated as disjuncture or dis-identification. We expect Maori to identify with Indians, but how do we think about the moments in which Maori do not? Ultimately, recognizing differences between Indigenous people and centering the various effects of colonialism can produce the conditions for remaining committed to – rather than the reasons to depart from – the pursuit of ethical, grounded, careful comparative Indigenous work.

Setting the record straight: the selection, subordination and silencing of Maata Patene, teacher

Maori women teachers in nineteenth‐century New Zealand have been little acknowledged in educational histories, and indeed, in some instances their contributions have been explicitly nullified. Those who have taken leadership roles have been no more visible. This article examines the silencing and exclusion from educational history of a young Maori woman who was both a teacher and a community leader during this period. It identifies the various points at which her role was silenced and suggests that such silencing is a reflection of her position as woman and as Maori, in a missionary/colonial context. In telling her story, this article (re)instates Maata Patene to a position of leadership and agency in the history of New Zealand education.

The Relative Importance of Rhythm and Intonation for the Perception of New Zealand English Dialects

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Employment Rates of Young Maori Women

While the employment rate of women has risen steadily in New Zealand over the last two decades, employment is still highly variable by ethnicity and age. One o f the groups least engaged in paid employment are young Maori women (15- 2-1 years). Their employment rates are much lower than their Pakeha counterparts (42% and 64% respectively) and this is not offset by their greater involvement in education, in fact, at 33% Maori actually have much lower education participation rates than Pakeha (46%). On the other hand, young Maori women are much more likely to be in one of the unpaid work categories identified by Statistics New Zealand is it this greater incidence of unpaid work by Maori explain their lower participation in employment and education? Although there is a general awareness of these differences, there has been no systematic enquiry into the possible reasons for the relatively low engagement of young Maori women in the formal economy. Using a full set of 178,776 unit records pertaining to all young Maori and Pakeha women from the 2001 Census of Population and Dwellings. I develop a number of novel measures of household composition as indicators of domestic responsibilities. These become arguments in a multivariate statistical model in which young women are modeled as choosing to work in the formal paid and/or participate in education. The results show that young Maori women's choice of paid work is no more sensitive to her domestic responsibilities than those of young Pakeha women, but they do encounter these responsibilities far more often.

Looking at the Other: Chinese and Maori Youth Perspectives

The arrival of many new Chinese migrants since the early 1990s seems to have created a tension between Chinese and Maori in New Zealand. This study explores how young Maori and Chinese migrants perceive each other in the Auckland region, a site of intercultural interaction. In-depth interviews were carried out among eleven new Chinese migrants and the same number of Maori youth, i.e., those in the ages 20 to 36. Findings suggest that Chinese migrants generally perceive Maori negatively and seem reluctant to interact with them, while Maori have slightly positive views towards Chinese and are willing to interact with them. Media reports and lack of personal contact between the two groups may have shaped these perceptions. Closer interaction between the two groups is expected to promote better understanding of each other.

Insulin sensitivity and intramyocellular lipid concentrations in young Maori men.

In muscle, resistance to insulin-mediated glucose uptake is thought to underlie the pre-Type 2 diabetic condition. In European Caucasian men, insulin sensitivity is negatively associated with intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) content, and this may provide an early marker of diabetes risk. This study was designed to examine the relationship between vastus lateralis IMCL content, aerobic fitness, adiposity and markers of insulin sensitivity in healthy, young Maori men. The following parameters were measured in 24 Maori men aged 28 +/- 6 years (mean +/- sd): overnight fasting blood concentrations of glucose, insulin and triglycerides; body composition using underwater weighing; maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) using an incremental treadmill exercise test; and vastus lateralis IMCL concentration using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS). All participants had normal fasting blood glucose. Simultaneous multiple regression analysis with homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) as the dependent variable showed that: (i) increased body fatness and decreased aerobic capacity (per kg lean body mass) are significant predictors of insulin sensitivity as estimated by HOMA-IR; and (ii) although vastus lateralis IMCL concentrations are elevated, they do not contribute to the prediction of insulin sensitivity. IMCL is not a reliable marker of estimated insulin resistance in this cohort of young, healthy Maori men. However, measures of composition and aerobic fitness may be of use as non-invasive, culturally acceptable measures to help identify Maori men with impaired insulin action, but normal fasting glycaemia.

Maori family culture: A context of youth development in Counties/Manukau

This paper reports on a study designed to bring the voices of young people directly into the social science literature regarding environmental influences on well‐being. We analyse accounts from young Maori about their families and the roles families play in order to focus on strengths and positive resources for the promotion of youth wellbeing. Interview data were gathered from 12 females and 15 males, aged between 12 and 25 years, resident in the Counties/Manukau region. Participants who were managing satisfactorily in their lives were purposively selected for diversity of background and circumstances. Our “life story” approach sought narrative accounts of both everyday experiences and the highs and lows of life; data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using discursive methods. Clusters of themes relating to family environments including relationships with parents, siblings and extended kin groups emerged. Participants provided detailed and nuanced accounts of family cultures; reporting on conflict, caring, gender issues, sensitivity, discipline, levels of guidance and forms of support.

Multiple identifications and the dialogical self: urban Maori youngsters and the cultural renaissance

The renaissance of Maori culture and tradition has played a significant role in the political campaigns of New Zealand's indigenous population over the past few decades. At the same time, however, it has brought to light that many Maori youngsters are unable to construct a cultural identity in terms of the discourses of culture and tradition that dominate the political arena. This article analyses the experience of urban Maori youngsters in ceremonial settings (marae) by examining the question of how they mediate different representations of their cultural identity within the self. It demonstrates that many young Maori people are engaged in a psychological dialogue between, on the one hand, the classic model for a Maori identity that prescribes them to embrace traditional culture and, on the other hand, their personal identification as outcasts in daily practices of New Zealand society.

Māori Architecture 1900–18

This decade can be noted for several distinct approaches to Māori architecture, reflecting a variety of nationalistic impulses. This paper offers a brief overview of the diversity of Māori architecture and ideas in this period. Pākehā, in the search for national identity, and also reflecting the interests of the global Arts and Crafts movement, were enthused by the local example of the carved and decorated whare whakairo, native timbers, Māori adzing techniques and local flora and fauna. This can be seen in the work of architects such as JW Chapman Taylor, as well as the symbolism and trademarks of popular culture, and the pattern of museum acquisitions. By the twentieth century Māori were seen as a culture that could soon become extinct and this is reflected in the images of artists such as Goldie ("The Calm Close of Valour’s Various Days"), Lindauer's interest in preserving ersatz records of tradition and custom, and Dittmer's interest in myth and legend. Parliamentarian Āpirana Ngata, a member of the Young Maori Party, was very influential in the revival of certain customary arts (seen in the later establishment of schools of Māori arts and crafts in Rotorua) but he and his colleagues promoted a form of these arts that while "encouraging national Maori unity" also suppressed the diversity of activity in modern figurative painting and tribal identity for instance. These approaches can be contrasted with the patterns of building by other Māori movements more opposed to the government and actively seeking the restoration of Māori lands, rights and mana. Rua Kēnana's settlement at Maungapōhatu in the 1910s and TW Rātana's hall and church building later in the century (his ministry began in 1918) eschew the use of any meeting house forms or customary motifs – they were turning to new forms and symbols to sustain Māori identity in the new century.

On Terrorism and Its (Re)Sources: A Review Essay

This study explores possible ethnic bias in rates of officially recorded convictions among a birth cohort of New Zealand young people studied to age 21 years. Data were gathered as part of the Christchurch Health and Development Study. In this project a cohort of 1265 children born in Christchurch in 1977 have been studied from birth to age 21 years. The measures collected included: officially recorded convictions (17–21 years), self-reported ethnicity (21 years), self-reported offending (17–21 years), family socioeconomic status, leaving school without qualifications, and gender. Young Maori had rates of conviction that were between 4.1–5.9 times higher than for non-Maori. Much of this association was explained by the fact that Maori also reported higher rates of offending. However, even after statistical control for self-reported offending and individual characteristics (gender, socioeconomic status and educational qualifications) Maori still had rates of conviction that were 1.6–1.8 times higher than non-Maori These results suggest the presence of a small bias in the arrest/conviction process which leads to Maori offenders having higher rates of conviction than non-Maori offenders with similar offending history and socioeconomic background.

Ethnicity and Criminal Convictions: Results of a 21-year Longitudinal Study

AbstractThis study explores possible ethnic bias in rates of officially recorded convictions among a birth cohort of New Zealand young people studied to age 21 years. Data were gathered as part of the Christchurch Health and Development Study. In this project a cohort of 1265 children born in Christchurch in 1977 have been studied from birth to age 21 years. The measures collected included: officially recorded convictions (17–21 years), self-reported ethnicity (21 years), self-reported offending (17–21 years), family socioeconomic status, leaving school without qualifications, and gender. Young Maori had rates of conviction that were between 4.1–5.9 times higher than for non-Maori. Much of this association was explained by the fact that Maori also reported higher rates of offending. However, even after statistical control for self-reported offending and individual characteristics (gender, socioeconomic status and educational qualifications) Maori still had rates of conviction that were 1.6–1.8 times higher than non-Maori These results suggest the presence of a small bias in the arrest/conviction process which leads to Maori offenders having higher rates of conviction than non-Maori offenders with similar offending history and socioeconomic background.

Ethnicity and Criminal Convictions: Results of a 21-year Longitudinal Study

This study explores possible ethnic bias in rates of officially recorded convictions among a birth cohort of New Zealand young people studied to age 21 years. Data were gathered as part of the Christchurch Health and Development Study. In this project a cohort of 1265 children born in Christchurch in 1977 have been studied from birth to age 21 years. The measures collected included: officially recorded convictions (17–21 years), self-reported ethnicity (21 years), self-reported offending (17–21 years), family socioeconomic status, leaving school without qualifications, and gender. Young Maori had rates of conviction that were between 4.1–5.9 times higher than for non-Maori. Much of this association was explained by the fact that Maori also reported higher rates of offending. However, even after statistical control for self-reported offending and individual characteristics (gender, socioeconomic status and educational qualifications) Maori still had rates of conviction that were 1.6–1.8 times higher than non-Maori These results suggest the presence of a small bias in the arrest/conviction process which leads to Maori offenders having higher rates of conviction than non-Maori offenders with similar offending history and socioeconomic background.