Dr Waikaremoana Waitoki
Psychology Department
University of Waikato
HAMILTON

Tena koe,
Information Letter Wellbeing Practitioners and Creatives Research: Embrace of Our Ancestors: Reimagining Mātauranga in Indigenous Psychology

Ko Waikaremoana Waitoki toku ingoa, he uri ahau no Ngāti Hako. This study is part of a larger study funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand’s Marsden Fund. The research team includes Dr Maree Roche, Dr Hukarere Valentine, and Dr Andre McLachlan.

This research seeks to identify how your work is informed by mātauranga Māori concepts as it relates to wellbeing. We would like to kōrero to you about your work, and how it enhances wellbeing for Māori. Wellbeing practitioners includes: health professionals, creatives and other professional groups – for example: psychologists; and intern psychologists, carvers, weavers, artists, whānau ora navigators; social workers, teachers, nurses, counsellors, psychiatrists; and kaumātua/elders, traditional healers.

Using a co-design format, we will explore your thoughts about the elements of mātauranga Māori that contribute to wellbeing. For example, you may use karakia (incantations), pure (ceremony), te reo Māori, te taha taiao (environmental), manaakitanga (care and hospitality), whakapapa (geneaology), taonga tuku iho (ancestral gifts); whānau, or purākau (narrative histories).

How might these elements enhance Māori wellbeing? The overall goal is to look at how our knowledge can inform a theory of Indigenous psychology that can be used to teach, practice and research.

The purpose is to bring together Maori knowledge to develop ways of helping Māori and whānau to flourish.

We would like to interview you either individually or in a wānanga (like a focus group), in a place convenient and comfortable to you. We are also able to interview by zoom. The interview will follow a semi-structured format with time for open discussion. We have a koha and refreshments in appreciation of your time.

Details of importance:
1. Participation is voluntary.
2. There is no cost to the marae.
3. The interview will take an hour, or longer for the wānanga.
4. We hope to record the interview, with your permission.
5. You don’t have to answer all the questions and you can ask us questions.
6. You can leave the korero at any time.

7. You can withdraw your information any time after the interview, and up to 3 weeks after receiving your transcript by email, letter or phone. It is not possible to withdraw after the publications.

8. Recordings will be stored in a secure drive, in a locked cabinet.
9. All identifying information will be anonymised.
10. You can access and edit your personal information at any time.
11. We expect to keep the findings for at least 5 years after the findings are published (within 3 years).
12. The research results will be published as an Indigenous psychology textbook.
13. The risk of harm in participating is minimal, however we have an advisory group who we will consult with during the project to ensure cultural and ethical safety.

We will provide refreshments and a koha in appreciation of your time and knowledge. We also intend to host a Knowledge Transfer Wānanga after this phase of the research where we will discuss and critique the findings with delegates.

This process is an important part of working together as a community to improve the research outcomes. The research results will be also published in a journal which we will make available upon request (as indicated in the consent form). If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to discuss these with me by email, or phone call.

Noho ora mai,

Dr Waikaremoana Waitoki,
Senior Research Fellow, Clinical Psychologist.

*This research project has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee (Health) at the University of Waikato as HREC(Health)2019#72. Any questions or concerns about the ethical conduct of this research may be sent to the Secretary of the Committee, email humanethics@waikato.ac.nz, postal address, Human Research Ethics Committee (Health), University of Waikato, Te Whare Wananga o Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240."