Ethical constraints in research: a kaupapa Māori critique

Abstract

This thesis frames a discussion of ethical constraints in research through a kaupapa Māori critique. The approach has been to combine a narrative of discovery - from te korekore through te po, into te ao marama - with an analysis of the Western bio-medical model of research and ethics. I begin by situating myself, a young Māori woman, within the conflicting contexts of the Māori worldview and prevailing academic conventions. I reflect on the mahi, the process of my thesis in the conclusion. Three substantive chapters highlight the Western model and in particular its origins, codifications and efforts to operationalise concepts of rationality, autonomy and individualism. Chapter 2 focuses on the international context and the diffusion of the Western model around a process of ‘scandal and response’. The Nuremburg Code is positioned as foundational in this respect. Chapter 3 shifts to Aotearoa New Zealand and a discussion of the ‘Unfortunate Experiment’ at National Women’s Hospital, with a reading of the publically-facing ethics documents from New Zealand Universities. This chapter also highlights the insights of my participants, interviewed as part of the research process. Chapter 4, explores children as a special case in research and the significance of the new area of childhood studies. My participants are again highlighted in terms of research with vulnerable populations. I return to a deeper discussion of kaupapa Māori research by picking up in a number of threads from the earlier chapters including: data as gift, a cross cultural critique of autonomy, and the epistemological and political challenges of an Indigenous backlash.