Whakapapa: Whānau Narratives

Intern: Hermione Mathews-John, Ngapuhi nui tonu, Te Rarawa Kaiwhare, Massey University Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa

Project Supervisors: Morgan Tupaea and Dr. Rāwiri Tinirau

Institution: Te Atawhai o Te Ao: Independent Māori Research Institute for Environment and Health

Project Summary: 

The Whakapapa Research Project aimed to gather whānau narratives from eight whānau case studies. 

As the project unfolded, whānau responses to challenges they have experienced were documented, and a whānau research methodology developed. Through this project, an innovative space of whānau narratives and whakapapa connections was created, providing insight into the organisation, perseverance, and preservation of whānau and whakapapa over time.

The student was encouraged to mirror the journey of whānau researchers by reflecting on how the key themes within the broader project relate to their own whānau.

The student analysed submissions from whānau researchers to identify how whānau researchers write about the process of whānau research in relation to:

• Reclamation of knowledge;
• Capacity for healing; and
• Challenges and barriers to whānau research

Further, the student was tasked with crafting a reflexive written piece that speaks to the observations they made and their whakaaro on whānau research as a mechanism for reclaiming intergenerational knowledges and providing templates for navigating contemporary conflicts.