Cultural identity research has largely focused on subjective and individualised notions of identity. In recent research we introduced the concept of “cultural embeddedness” as a framework for understanding the collective expectations derived from cultural values, practices and beliefs, and how these facets of culture are integrated into identity and enacted in everyday behaviours (Fox et al., 2021).

Placing whānau at the centre of research design and delivery empowers whānau to take ownership of their own narrative while leveraging and extending their existing resources and knowledge systems. This article outlines the development of a kaupapa whānau research framework developed by whānau involved in a whānau-inspired initiative at their marae. Conducted in accordance with whānau principles, the research was guided by a tikanga approach to ensure that the experience was mana enhancing for all engaged.

The beauty of te ao Māori is the pragmatic fluidity of many of our concepts. Generally employed to explain our genealogical links and connections to land, whakapapa can also be applied within the context of rangahau to organise, structure, analyse and understand information, experiences and relationships. This article introduces Te Waka Pounamu, a whakapapa-based framework developed as a methodological research model for my doctoral studies. Included in the whakapapa framework is a tikanga Māori model I have named Te Tuamaka.

Climate change is the most grievous threat of the 21st century and disproportionately affects politically marginalised communities such as Indigenous peoples. As custodians of approximately 80% of the planet’s biodiversity, Indigenous cultures have practised sustainable management of ecosystems and resources over millennia providing vital pathways for humanity to better mitigate accelerating climate change impacts.

Maori children are uplifted by the New Zealand government at disproportionate rates compared with tauiwi children. The removal of tamariki from culturally embedded networks exacerbates intergenerational trauma created by colonisation. Placements into unsafe contexts mean that additional instances of harm and cumulative trauma are common, and tamaiti atawhai are not positioned within fullness of their cultural being. This article draws on a broader Kaupapa Māori project involving semistructured interviews with kaiāwhina Māori across the North Island.

Indigenous people are over-represented as professional players in many sporting codes, and recently a trend has developed whereby Indigenous athletes are choosing to play internationally for their heritage nations as opposed to the top-tier countries they reside in. With regard to rugby league and rugby union, many of these athletes are Pasifika who have had minimal exposure to their heritage nations, being born and raised in, for example, Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia or the United States. Nevertheless, this cohort is increasingly choosing to play for their heritage nations, despite the substantial cut in pay and available resources this decision entails.

This article has been inspired by doctoral research that focused on the pathway to leadership for wāhine Māori. For the purpose of the study, a mana wahine theoretical framework was created to analyse the lived experiences and character of several Māori women leaders. Known in the study as the Moko Wahine framework, it is embedded in Māori cultural values. A key aspect of the Moko Wahine framework is the potential to strengthen the Indigenous identity of women leaders who are of Māori descent. This theoretical framework is drawn from the characteristics and values of Moerangi Ratahi, a Māori woman leader of Ngāti Awa who lived from the mid-1800s through to the late 1900s.

Global studies attest that early engagement with childbirth education (CBE) classes enhances maternal and infant health outcomes. In Aotearoa New Zealand, Māori participation rates in CBE classes are lower than those of their non-Māori counterparts. Current CBE classes are designed and delivered using a predominantly Western medicalised approach that negates Māori birthing knowledge, expertise, and values. However, sporadically, Kaupapa Māori CBE classes are being delivered. This article draws on a wider study that explores the Hapū Wānanga (HW) CBE programme, a by Māori, for Māori pregnancy and parenting initiative.

In the modern age of technology in Aotearoa, mana Māori motuhake, kaitiakitanga and data sover- eignty are all interconnected. Each provides distinct insight into how Māori people and organisations (as well as other Indigenous peoples) can ensure the protection of knowledge and data. This article discusses these concepts before illustrating what they look like on a practical level by exploring the narrative of Te Reo Irirangi o Te Hiku o Te Ika (Te Hiku Media). Since its inception over 30 years ago, Te Hiku Media has embarked on a range of projects to support the use of Māori and other Indigenous languages in a range of domains, in particular, in the digital world.

Ko te tino kaupapa o te tuhinga nei hei whakaatu i ngā rautaki a te Maori mō ngā rākau taketake e kainga ana e te ngāngara. Kua whakaputaina mai ngā rautaki e rima nei; pūrākau, rāhui, karakia, tohu, me te mahitahi. I ahu mai ngā rautaki katoa i te mātauranga Māori. Ahakoa, he rerekē ētahi o ngā āhuatanga mō ia rautaki, kotahi noa te whakaakoranga ka puta i ngā rautaki katoa—ko te hononga o ngā mea katoa. Koirā te kitenga matua o te rangahau. Nā te mea, ko tātou ngā tāngata o te ao tūroa, ngā tamariki o te moana, o ngā roto, o ngā awa, o ngā ngahere hoki.