From whakamā to whakamana: He aha tēnei? Kaimahi and tāngata whaiora recounts of whakamā in mental health contexts of Tāmaki Makaurau

Abstract

Mental health services in Aotearoa must better recognise and respond to the unique worldview and experiences of Māori. This study sought to explore how the mātauranga Māori concept of whakamā is understood and experienced in mental health contexts of Tāmaki Makaurau. Using a Māori centred approach informed by kaupapa Māori principles, semi-structured qualitative interviews were carried out with 18 kaimahi, nine tāngata whaiora, and four peer support workers. Interview transcripts were grouped into two data sets, kaimahi and tāngata whaiora, of which the second included peer support workers. Thematic analysis was used to identify categories and themes across each data set. Kaimahi highlighted the significance of collective experiences associated with whakamā for Māori namely, impacts of colonisation, loss of Māori identity, and whakamā caused by harmful interactions with the ‘system.’ Kaimahi experienced whakamā as a ‘big’ concept that felt challenging to talk about with tāngata whaiora although was commonly ‘shown’ through identifiable behaviour. Kaimahi considered their role in supporting with whakamā which encompassed qualities associated with tikanga values of kaitiakitanga, whanaungatanga, te wā, and whakapapa. Finally, kaimahi stressed that mental health services may contribute to whakamā because of differences in values, lack of cultural competency, and lack of bicultural partnership. Nearly all of the tāngata whaiora and peer support workers told a time-based story about their journey with mental health challenges and, within this, experiences contributing to both whakamā and enhanced mana. As such, tāngata whaiora findings were grouped into two categories. The first category encompassed experiences contributing to whakamā and these included lived experiences of mana diminishing environments, whānau responses to mental health problems, whakamā about having a mental health problem, and whakamā about engaging with services. The second category outlined experiences contributing to whakamana and these included making a choice to speak out, connecting with the right support, and (re)connecting with Te Aō Māori. Findings demonstrate that whakamā is an important concept of relevance to mental health contexts for Māori. The voices of Māori participants in this study contribute to the literature on Māori mental health by offering new ways of understanding, responding to, and healing from whakamā.