Collaborating with Māori

Some of the most important factors that allow collaborative research with iwi and hapū, are that both parties have a common interest, a mutual respect for each other and each others philosophies, and the ability to co-operate and communicate, share workloads, and complete research for the benefit of others. Individuals and organisations wanting to collaborate with iwi should have the following attributes:

• an empathy towards Māori culture and strong desire to work with Māori
• respect and trust by the Māori community or iwi group
• an ability to listen and communicate effectively with iwi or hapū members
• some understanding of te reo and tikanga
• an ability to understand Māori concepts
• an ability to understand Māori issues, and to be able to communicate them
• an ability to formulate research questions from a mainstream scientific perspective and from a Māori perspective
• excellent communication skills
• high competence in their field of expertise and respect from their peers
• an ability to communicate their work to audiences in a non-technical way

Why is this important?

Most collaborative projects are driven or championed by key people from both sides, and these people form the essential link that makes for successful collaboration. These 'partner' attributes and characteristics can be used to help selection and alignment of partners.

This information is drawn from:

• HARMSWORTH, G. 2005. Good Practice guidelines for working with tangata whenua and Maori organisations: Consolidating our learning. Report prepared for Integrated Catchment Mangement Programme, Motuka, funded by FRST
• Manaaki Whenua's Iwi & Māori partners resource.