Relational nature of Maori Men’s Health
Linda Waimarie Nikora, Neville Robertson, Mohi
Rua & Darrin Hodgetts
Maori & Psychology Research Unit,
University of Waikato
Overview
Quick intro’s
A bit about us and current research directions
But most about where ‘we’ (you and us) think
research on Maori relational health should go in
the future
A round of quick intro’s
Maori & Psychology Research Unit
Culture
Health
Social
Issues
Heritage
Community
Maori & Psychology Research Unit
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Maori focused
Social, psychology, systems,
qualitative and ethnographic
orientation with eye to demography
Everyday life
Applied
Maori Development Goals
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Survival
Remaining Maori
Creating a better world
Linda Waimarie Nikora
Director, PhD, AProf
Maori & Psychology Research Unit
University of Waikato
Ongoing work
Moko
Tangi
Culturally
patterned
worlds and
ways of being
Purpose and Identity
Mood and depression
Relatedness
Future ideas
Positive
relational
health
ID patterns of
relating
Prevent and
intervene
Challenge
hipocracy
Neville Robertson
Programme Covenor, PhD, Senior Lecturer
Maori & Psychology Research Unit
University of Waikato
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Current work
Fathers & domestic violence
 Interviews with men and
women on
Role of father
 Father’s relationship with
children
 Impact of the violence on
children and mother
 Children and parent’s
decision making
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An Evaluation of Te
Whakaruruhau Whānau Ora
Wellbeing Programme
 Whānau case studies
 Staff and other agency
perspectives
 Issues
What does whānau ora
mean in the context of
DV?
 Being set up to fail?
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Mohi Rua
Research Fellow
Maori & Psychology Research Unit
University of Waikato
Research with Maori men
 The
cultural construction of Maori masculinity
 A history of research on Maori men
 Research with Maori men
 Maori men’s relationships and how these promote
health today
 Addressing
the crucial gap in research by studying the
everyday lives and positive relationships of Maori men in
the context of men’s health
Some questions to address
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What do we know about Maori men…
 who
do not offend?
 who are not in the justice system or prisons?
 who do not beat their children and partners?
 who have no gang affiliations?
 who lead relatively healthy lifestyles and are
positively contributing and engaging constructively with
their whanau and communities?
Quite frankly not much at all.
Darrin Hodgetts
Professor (Societal Psychology)
Maori & Psychology Research Unit
University of Waikato
Work in progress
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Bloke Culture
Homeless Men
Medications – Men who mother, Proxy Symptoms
Some discussion questions + others?
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What are your projects and research agendas?
Do you see any synergies with our directions?
What are the big gaps?
What’s important not to forget?
How might our work help what you do?
What don’t we know?