Deborah Heke (Nga Puhi, Te Arawa), Auckland University of Technology Tūpuna Māori were a strong and active people whose relationship with their natural environment was fundamental to their ability to adapt and flourish in challenging environments.  It is

Deborah Heke (Nga Puhi, Te Arawa), Auckland University of Technology

Tūpuna Māori were a strong and active people whose relationship with their natural environment was fundamental to their ability to adapt and flourish in challenging environments.  It is the intent of this research to present a mana-enhancing narrative giving voice to physically active wāhine Māori, (re)presenting their connection to and activation of mana inherited from ancestors. The aim is to explore the whakapapa of physical activity among a group of self-declared physically active Māori women.  

By identifying characteristics that relate to their ability to maintain physical activity, this study will ultimately weave those findings into pūrākau of atua [wāhine] – feminine representations within nature. Whakapapa provides this research with both method and methodology, while an overarching lens of Mana Wahine prioritises the important voices at the intersection of being Māori and female. Using a uniquely styled interview process that allows a platform for sharing through physical activity, this research acknowledges and utilises the diverse ways to communicate and transmit knowledge.