Skip to main content
Rangahau · Internship project

Māori whānau mental health and addiction journeys

About this research

Intern

Maioha Watson, Waikato, Ngāi Tūhoe, Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Manawa, Te Whakatōhea, Te Āti Awa, The University of Otago

Supervisor

Dr Erena Wikaire, Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi

Overview

This kaupapa Māori project aimed to investigate the multiple dimensions of Māori experiences of cannabis and methamphetamine use. The project sought to highlight the lived experience of our whānau Māori about the challenges, benefits, opportunities, and barriers in this context – in relation to their wellbeing.

This internship contributed to a larger postdoctoral research fellowship project. Māori whānau and communities are heavily impacted by cannabis and methamphetamine. Despite calls for the treatment of drug use and addiction as a health concern, these issues continue to be addressed as criminal justice problems. This approach is not working for Māori, and Māori are rarely asked to tell our stories, or offer our solutions. 

The internship involved interviewing Māori whānau and key stakeholders about their journeys related to cannabis and methamphetamine, and what works (and does not work) for Māori.

How do Māori experience and navigate cannabis and methamphetamine use in their lives and communities? This kaupapa Māori project internship centred whānau voices to better understand the challenges and solutions from within – aiming to shift the narrative from criminalisation to healing and wellbeing.

Ētahi atu · Other projects

Research Programme

21-24RP01He oranga whānau: mahi ngātahi: Whānau livelihoods within the context of work and Māori economies of wellbeing
Kaiārahi · Project lead Professor Chellie Spiller
Whare wānanga · Host University of Waikato
Matakitenga · Framework
Wā rangahau · Timeline Commenced 2022 · Completed 2025

He oranga whānau: mahi ngātahi: Whānau livelihoods within the context of work and Māori economies of wellbeing. These groundbreaking works celebrate Māori futures rooted in kaupapa Māori values while fostering pathways for responsible relationships, meaningful lives, and flourishing Indigenous wellbeing economies. By emphasising the central role of whānau…

View project

Internship project

21-22INT10Investigating traditional mahinga kai practices of preservation throughout Aotearoa
Whare wānanga · Host University of Otago
Matakitenga · Framework
Wā rangahau · Timeline Commenced 2021 · Completed 2022

This internship compiled a database of traditional Māori food preservation practices to better understand archaeological midden sites and mahinga kai history. Working with Otago’s SPAR team, the project links historical knowledge with contemporary preservation techniques across Aotearoa.

View project

Doctoral thesis

22PHD03Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu: How do wahine Māori nurses utilise mātauranga Māori as a means to address health equity in Te Tai Tokerau?
Whare wānanga · Host Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland
Matakitenga · Framework
Wā rangahau · Timeline Commenced 2023 · Completed 2026

PHD Candidate: Coral Wiapo (Ngati Whātua) Primary Supervisor(s): Dr Sue Adams Work is underway in Te Tai Tokerau to strengthen the Māori nursing workforce by supporting kaimahi to enter the nursing profession; and registered nurses to advance their scope of practice to become nurse prescribers or nurse practitioners (NPs). Improving access to healthcare for…

View project