PhD Researcher: Sharron Aroha Fabish (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Maniapoto) (UoA)
Primary supervisors: Professor Melinda Webber (UoA)
Project summary:
Hauora is at the heart of Ngāti Kahungunu identity. Sharron’s doctoral research is a strengths-based study called ‘Hauora: A Ngāti Kahungunu perspective’ and the research question is, “What is the relationship between kaupapa Māori community-led initiatives and Māori notions of hauora and how can this mātauranga-ā-iwi inform Te Ara Toiora, the Ngāti Kahungunu Wellbeing Strategy?” This doctoral project will capture the unique and multiple knowledges and perspectives of Sharron’s people in relation to how their own health-related practices and concepts are tied in to their identities and to their being whānau, hapū and iwi. This mātauranga-ā-iwi will inform, refine and develop the aspirations, policies and practices of Te Ara Toiora (Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated, 2022). Māori health has tended to be dominated by Western medical views of health and -, resulting in persistent disparities for Māori, despite ongoing Western models and health interventions (Ministry of Health, 2019; Waitangi Tribunal, 2019). Sharron’s research responds to this by contributing to a growing body of mātauranga-ā-iwi, offering an alternative narrative to the prevailing Western paradigm of health and well-being and paves the way for a more holistic, culturally grounded, and community-driven approach to being well. Hauora-a-Kahungunu is the cornerstone of flourishing Ngāti Kahungunu communities.