Abstract:
Kaupapa Māori has been comprehensively theorized in academia in Aotearoa and those wishing to use it in their research can find support through the writing of a number of leading Māori academics. What is not so well articulated, is the experiential voice of those who seek opportunities to engage in research in more iwi [tribally] specific ways. In this chapter I seek to articulate my research doing by drawing upon the iwi principles and standards set by my iwi – Te Arawa. In this chapter I examine my work as an education researcher by highlighting research practices that have been shaped by Te Arawa notions of whakapapa [genealogy], tikanga [protocols] and mōhiotanga [knowledge]. I suggest that we celebrate the different ways we can work within and outside of our own communities of interest by undoing and then remaking our understandings of research with and for, rather than research about and to. We must be unapologetic about foregrounding iwi and/or ‘local’ theoretical frameworks, models of practice and knowledge systems in our research and writing.
