Marae food gardens: health and wellbeing through urban marae in Tāmaki Makaurau

Abstract

Over many years, and as a result of the legacy of colonisation, indigenous peoples have experienced and continue to experience substantial disparities that have impacted their health and wellbeing. Addressing these complex issues presents health systems with a difficult task given varying lived realities of socioeconomic circumstances, structural issues, and cultural understandings. Current health strategies continue to have limited success for improving indigenous peoples’ wellbeing as they remain underpinned by concepts of individualism. Noting these limitations, this thesis argues that cultural-collective approaches that capitalise on existing multifaceted resources within indigenous communities can be more effective and relevant health strategies. Central to the provision of these health programmes is that they are situated and supported by the sociocultural features of urban-indigenous therapeutic landscapes. These are places of indigenous health autonomy as indigenous peoples make decisions about programme outcomes and suitability of resources. Narrowing the focus of this research, I have explored the current circumstances of Māori engagement in community gardens based within urban marae in Auckland, New Zealand. I employed cultural efficacy theory to determine and analyse how cultural capacity is developed for Māori, and influence of social, cultural and physical environmental factors. Drawing from kaupapa Māori research methods, I undertook face-to-face interviews and group meetings with 34 Māori respondents who were current community gardeners from eight urban marae. My discussions showed that healthy Māori families were a foremost influence and goal of community gardening engagement. Tending the gardens also provided important wellbeing experiences and benefits of social connectedness, altruism and productivity for the Māori respondents within their urbanised lifestyles. Notably, I showed that Māori autonomy, cultural capacity and wellbeing can be increased in the everyday and ordinary practices of gardening within marae. Nevertheless, marae and community gardens face a tenuous future due to external funding and internal participation issues. I found that reflective of diverse urban circumstances neither marae nor community gardens are a priority for all urban Māori. Yet, ultimately I demonstrated that marae and gardens are a comprehensive health promotion activity with multiple holistic benefits that must be considered as just one of many viable Māori health strategies.