Collaborating with Māori researchers

Many of the insights for working with iwi and hapu communities are also relevant when Māori researchers and other researchers are working together in a research team such as:

• Parties have a common interest,
• A mutual respect for each other and each other’s philosophies and world views
• The ability to co-operate and communicate
• The importance of understanding appropriate tikanga and values
• Understanding where the research sits in the broader issues affecting Māori communities

We also need to be deliberate about the making space for multiple world views when deciding what to work on, being respectful of the Treaty when deciding research approaches, and we also need to be deliberate about how the research approaches we adopt.

There are different modes that Māori and non-Māori researchers can work in. In a presentation by Dr Ocean Ripeka Mercier at Ngā Pae O Te Māramatanga (New Zealand’s indigenous centre of research excellence) she identifies six modes of research for Māori and non-Māori researchers. These modes are summarised graphically below.

It is important to discuss and agree your mode of research within your team.