In 2009 Whakauae Research for Māori Health and Development (WRMHD) in association with Te Oranganui Iwi Health Authority and the Health Services Research Centre (HSRC) began a two year project. Its aims were first, to determine if the concept of resilience described in Western academic literature holds resonance in Māori primary health approaches, and second, to determine in what ways whānau resilience is supported and enhanced by Māori primary health care services. This presentation discusses a new method employed by the researchers to elicit information from community participants, and findings and conclusions on the links between the introduced concept of resilience often employed to describe indigenous survivorship and the local concept, whānau ora.

Amohia Boulton (Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi te Rangi, Ngāti Pūkenga) is a Senior Researcher at WRMHD, a small research centre established by Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Hauiti in 2005. Amohia's career has spanned public policy and academia. As a health services researcher her interests have focused on the relationship between national policy intent, planning practices and funding strategies for indigenous health services and the desires of local indigenous communities for improving health outcomes. She is a member of the Māori Health Committee of the Health Research Council of New Zealand and an Executive.