In 2020, New Zealand Māori made up 6.8% of postgraduate students at the University of Otago (Sizemore, 2020). These students are supported by the author in her role as Māori Postgraduate Support Adviser (hereafter “the Adviser”). During the country’s first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the Adviser used Facebook—specifically the University of Otago’s page for Māori postgraduate students—to communicate with this cohort. She adapted the kaupapa Te Whare Tapa Whā (Durie, 1985) into a communication tool, and its success is evaluated in this article by tracking engagement online and through autoethnographic analysis by the Adviser.

Social networking sites (SNSs) have changed the ways in which we communicate and connect with others, forming new ways of communicating, building relationships, accessing information, and being self- expressive. While much of the literature around SNSs looks at social impacts, little research exists around Māori use of SNSs. Rangatahi Māori (rangatahi) are finding new ways of connecting and communicating through Facebook profi le pages and are faced with new challenges of online/offl ine variations and protocols that become blurred—particularly in online spaces.