Kaitiakitanga – principles for protecting and promoting tamariki and rangatahi wellbeing in Growing Up in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) is the largest contemporary longitudinal study of child development in Aotearoa New Zealand. The aim of the study was to recruit a large, socioeconomically and ethnically diverse cohort of children, with successful recruitment of 1246 pregnant Māori women. This paper describes the development and operationalisation of the GUiNZ Kaitiaki principles which provide a framework for ensuring that Māori rights and aspirations for research and policy development are upheld as part of the study. We also consider how the Kaitiaki principles might inform the next phase of GUiNZ, particularly with respect to the potential guardianship role that rangatahi (young people) should have as their contribution to the study expands. Finally, this commentary seeks to highlight the significant opportunities that Māori values and philosophies bring to longitudinal research in Aotearoa including through strengthening our connections with whānau and Maori communities.

Introduction

Responsiveness to Māori describes the responsibilities of researchers and their organisations to ensure that our processes and approaches reflect Māori realities and priorities and uphold the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Reid et al. 2017). Studies that have ignored these responsibilities have created environments of distrust, including in the intentions of Māori and non-Māori investigators and eroded confidence in the potential for research to create positive outcomes for Māori (Pūtaiora Writing Group 2010). Inattention to responsiveness to Māori also limits Māori engagement in research particularly when opportunities for Māori values and philosophies to support strong Māori participation are overlooked in favour of Western research approaches, including the values, and knowledge systems that support their supposed claims to scientific rigour. Māori researchers and scholars have written at length about these issues, critiquing the unsafety of Western research approaches for Māori participants and the often limited and colonial view of Maori communities that is portrayed as a result (Smith 1999; Reid et al. 2019).

Incorporating Indigenous knowledges and cultural practices into research has been identified as both critical for meeting Māori expectations of research excellence (Milne 2005; Macfarlane and Macfarlane 2019) and ensuring that tikanga Māori (Māori ethics and values) are not compromised at the expense of technical utility. The term ‘Kaupapa Māori’ is often used to describe approaches to research which incorporate Māori values and philosophies. The manner in which Kaupapa Māori principles are applied has tended to vary, according to the positioning and expertise of the researcher(s) as well as the nature or design of the research study. While the origins of Kaupapa Māori research are rooted in the Maori education movement, the application of Māori values within research has expanded into many different disciplines, including longitudinal research (Cooper et al. 2004; Lawton et al. 2013; Paine et al. 2013; Theodore et al. 2019; Adcock et al. 2020), and is recognised by ethics committees and increasingly expected by research funders.

Kaupapa Maori research and the Growing Up in New Zealand study

The issue of how to integrate Māori philosophies into the design of a longitudinal study was among the first serious challenges faced by the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) study. Although GUiNZ was designed to represent the diversity of a contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand, Māori researchers involved with the study argued that Kaupapa Māori principles must be prioritised in order to provide confidence in the study among Māori stakeholders and communities, and to achieve its target Māori sample size. Therefore, a suite of 12 high-level principles (see Table 1) were developed by the Māori advisory group (the Kaitiaki group) at the inception of the study, based on their collective experience and expertise and informed by the broader consultation hui that were undertaken with Māori stakeholders from the Auckland and Waikato regions, including some iwi groups, Māori health providers and DHB representatives (Morton et al. 2014). The naming of these principles as the ‘GUiNZ Kaitiaki principles’ was purposeful, reflecting a Māori understanding of guardianship which includes ‘actively protecting Māori individual and collective rights, Māori data, Māori culture, cultural concepts, values, norms, practices and language in the research process’ (National Ethics Advisory Committee 2019). The Kaitiaki principles have primarily been used in support of the GUiNZ Data Access Protocol, with applicants asked to reflect on how new proposals, including their methods of analyses and dissemination process provide benefit for Māori. More recently, the Māori theme working group has advocated for a deeper and more meaningful application of the principles across all aspects of the study, as was their original purpose. Table 1 provides a description and high level summary of each of the Kaitiaki principles, highlighting their application to date, including initiatives that would meet Māori expectations of ‘best research practice’ in the 12Y DCW (Lacey et al. 2011; Paine et al. 2013; Cram 2014; Reid et al. 2017; Curtis et al. 2019; Theodore et al. 2019). The Māori theme working group has also identified a range of opportunities where the Kaitiaki principles could be used to enhance GUiNZ’s responsiveness to Māori across all parts of the study. For example, the principle of partnership recognises our responsibilities to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including to support Māori tangata whenua rights to be involved in and benefit from research. While Māori consultation was prioritised in the design and recruitment phases of GUiNZ, the expectations of excellence across the research, science and innovation sector have changed (Health Research Council of New Zealand - Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora o Aotearoa 2019; Kukutai et al. 2021), and therefore our success as a contemporary longitudinal study for Aotearoa will require strengthening of our relationships with Māori, including the communities who have supported the study since its inception and expanding into areas where GUiNZ has significant potential impact, including rangatahi (youth) wellbeing.

Table 1.

An overview of the GUiNZ Kaitiaki Principles, including their application in the 12Y Data Collection Wave (DCW) and opportuities for future development.

Principle	Description	Key initiatives in the 12Y DCW	Opportunities for the future:
Partnership	The entire research endeavour will actively recognise the Treaty of Waitangi as the basis of a joint undertaking between Crown and Māori, the principle of Partnership will be reflected in research practice, the implementation and interpretation of findings.	Māori actively contributing across all parts of the GUiNZ, from field operations to the data access processes	Implementation of a Māori strategic plan which will drive Treaty responsiveness across the whole study GUiNZ to partner with Māori, including rangatahi, to identify and design future opportunities
Active Protection	In all aspects of the research process the GUiNZ study will endeavour first and foremost to ‘do no harm’ to Māori and Māori interests. This will be especially relevant to the collection and protection of data, its analysis, interpretation, and use.	Kaupapa Māori approach to field operations developed by the Māori hub and Māori theme working group. This approach recognises tikanga Māori values and practice as ethical. Kaitiaki group are members of the Data Access Committee (DAC), Data access process requires consideration of Kaitiaki principles	GUiNZ governance will support Māori data sovereignty principles
Relevance	The research generated by the GUiNZ study through implementation and application will contribute to whānau and tamariki development.	Māori theme leads collaborate with Culture and Identity domain leads to include items of relevance to Māori wellbeing are included in the questionnaire and to ensure ethnicity variables are used appropriately across all domains. Māori theme working group developed a list of key research projects and analyses to be prioritised Member of the Indigenous Global Networking Forum#	GUiNZ to engage with policy and service providers who have responsibilities to ensure tamariki and whanau Māori wellbeing
The Tikanga principle	All aspects of the GUiNZ study must be consistent with tikanga Māori.	Te reo and tikanga Māori are central to the work undertaken by the Māori hub. Translation of questionnaires into te reo Māori and employment of interviewers who are fluent in te reo Maori	Workforce and employment planning takes into account tikanga and te reo Māori capability needs
Reciprocity	The relationships between researchers, participants and communities of interest will ensure reciprocal benefits.	Data collection process includes strong focus on whanaungatanga (relationship building) and manaakitanga (compassionate generousity). Koha (vouchers) provided to acknowledge participation. Summary of Māori findings collated for dissemination to the Māori cohort	Options to involve whānau and rangatahi in the design of future opportunities are explored and invested in.
Development	The GUiNZ study will be consistent with the broad directions of positive Māori Development.	Māori membership of key governance and advisory groups, including Steering Group and Data Access Committee. Māori theme lead is member of Senior Management team.	Future DCWs informed and shaped by Māori research and policy priorities
The Mātauranga principle	The GUiNZ study will contribute to advancements in knowledge and to other understandings of Māori tamariki and whānau.	12Y DCW and Now We Are 12 report will prioritise strategies and initiatives that will enhance the Māori voice.	Māori data incorporated into regular reporting as well as production of Māori-specific outputs (e.g. policy briefs)
Human Dignity	Participants in the GUiNZ study will be valued as individuals and afforded due respect.	The ‘Hui process’ used for interviews prioritises establishing relationships with participants (whakawhanaungatanga) and ensures whanau set the pace for the interview (manaakitanga). Māori hub supported to complete interviews during 2021/22 Covid-19 outbreak in Auckland and Waikato.	GUiNZ retention activities expanded to recognise the different needs and priorities of cohort mothers, partners and children
Enhancement	The GUiNZ study will lead to an expansion of Māori research capacities, including workforce development and methodological innovations.	All of field operations trained in the ‘hui process’. Māori theme leads collaborate with Culture and Identity domain leads to develop a workshop and resources on ethnicity data	Māori strategic plan includes workforce development and student/early career research opportunities. Engagement with Indigenous Global Networking Forum and GUiNZ Expert Scientific Advisory Group supports methodological innovation
The Kaitiaki principle	The GUiNZ study will promote the protection and guardianship of Māori contributions and Māori knowledge.	Māori expectations of ethical research practice incorporated into data access protocol and process	GUiNZ Data Governance and Data Access Policy reviewed for Treaty of Waitangi responsiveness
Elucidation	The GUiNZ study will contribute to a clarification of contemporary Māori realities and especially the lives of Māori whānau and tamariki.	The Now We Are 12 report is responsive to current Māori policy priorities	GUiNZ communications and reporting has focus on Māori research and policy
The Engagement principle	Māori participants and their whanau will be provided with information relevant to the study and their needs. They will be informed of relevant developments in order to support their ongoing participation.	Stakeholder engagement plan has clearer focus on activities that support Māori engagement with the study, as participants and key stakeholders	GUiNZ partnership with rangatahi not only as participants but as data governors, research designers and wellbeing influencers.

Note. #The Indigenous Global Networking forum was initiated by the Māori hub lead as a platform for international longitudinal studies with Indigenous cohorts to come together and share ideas, challenges and opportunities.

Related to this, the principle of active protection demands strong and active leadership and decision-making by Māori at all levels of the study. Initially, Māori leadership in GUiNZ was reflected through the establishment of a Kaitiaki group that provides advice to the Research Director and the Māori Theme lead who, in addition to their roles as Named Investigators, have responsibilities to ensure that GUiNZ research reflects tamariki and whānau Māori priorities. Since then, Māori involvement in GUiNZ governance and management has expanded to include membership of the Steering Group and Data Access Committee, and inclusion of a Māori Theme lead into the Senior Management Team ensuring that strategic and operational decisions are responsive to Māori and reflect our Tiriti obligations. The recent appointment of a senior Māori academic as the Research Director of GUiNZ opens up new possibilities for Indigenous leadership in longitudinal research in Aotearoa and internationally.

Active protection also requires systems and policies that ensure Māori data is collected, stored, analysed and interpreted in ways Māori researchers and communities deem to be tika or ‘safe’. The inclusion of the Kaitiaki principles within the Data Access Protocol has supported a level of protection for Māori participants in that applicants are required to explain how their proposed projects will ensure the value of Māori data as a taonga ‘ … are to be preserved and protected and used productively and for the benefit of Māori’ (Growing Up in New Zealand 2021). However, the scholarship and guidance in relation to Indigenous data ethics and data justice has grown significantly since GUiNZ began, with consideration of Māori Data Sovereignty principles required by research funders and ethics committees. While the Kaitiaki principles have undoubtedly ‘future-proofed’ GUiNZ for this current environment, further work is required to ensure that GUiNZ data governance and data systems are aligned with the expectations of Te Mana Raraunga (Te Mana Raraunga 2018) and recognise the inherent kaitiakitanga of Māori, as tangata whenua, and Māori rights to be involved in making decisions about data guardianship, ethics and restrictions.

The principle of relevance describes our ongoing commitment to ensure GUiNZ contributes evidence and policy to support child development and wellbeing now and into the future. Minimising attrition bias is a central concern for any longitudinal cohort study, and for GUiNZ loss of Māori participants has the potential to impact on the relevance and the value of the study for Māori research and policy-making. This has come into focus in the last 18 months, as the study delivers a 12Y DCW during a Covid-19 outbreak that is having significant and inequitable impacts on Māori families and communities. GUiNZ has implemented a number of strategies to support stronger engagement with Māori, the most influential of which was the establishment of a Māori ‘ hub’ or team of Maori interviewers who would lead engagement with Māori participants in the 12Y DCW. The Māori hub designed a ‘by Māori, for Māori’ approach to field operations, which prioritises whanaungatanga (relationship-building) and manaakitanga (care and compassion) as critical to successful data collection. The Māori hub has also advocated for a number of other initiatives, including translation of 12Y DCW materials into te reo Māori and employment of interviewers who could conduct the interview entirely in te reo Māori. While initiatives such as these are ‘business as usual’ for Kaupapa Māori research projects, their implementation in GUiNZ is an important step forward for a longitudinal study which has committed to mapping the developmental trajectories for Māori, Pacific and Asian children as a priority.

The principle of elucidation reminds GUiNZ data users of our responsibility to undertake research projects that will highlight contemporary Māori realities and thereby support development of policies and interventions that uphold the Māori voice. From a Kaupapa Māori positioning, maximising benefits for tamariki and rangatahi wellbeing relies on data users working in collaboration with Māori, as a way of supporting research questions that are meaningful and responsive to Māori priorities and to reduce the potential for deficit-based analyses and interpretation of findings (Reid et al. 2017). At the time of writing this commentary, the majority of applications to use GUiNZ data do not include Māori co-investigators or advisors and very few have data analysis plans that seek to investigate outcomes for Māori, either alone or as part of a comparative analysis. The Māori theme working group is currently exploring opportunities to increase the number of Māori data users and together with the Pacific and Asian theme leads, and the Culture and Identity Domain leads, we provide guidance to internal and external applications to ensure that best-practice standards for analysis of ethnicity and ethnic identity variables held within the dataset are followed.

The tikanga principle speaks to the normalisation of te reo and tikanga Māori in all of our engagement with whānau participants and Māori stakeholders. As previously mentioned the 12Y DCW includes a number of Kaupapa Māori initiatives, including provision of koha or ‘gift’ that acknowledges the time and commitment that underpins sustained participation in a longitudinal study. The inclusion of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga-focused initiatives within research are not new, in fact in Kaupapa Māori spaces they are considered essential rather than innovative. The challenge for many research projects is that full expression of te reo and tikanga Māori requires a workforce plan which provides Māori capacity and capability in these areas in addition to those who can provide Māori research expertise. GUiNZ is starting this work, with existing staff encouraged to develop their te reo and tikanga Māori capabilities in addition to increasing their foundational knowledge of Māori histories and experiences of colonialism in Aotearoa.

The principle of reciprocity emphasises the significant time and knowledge contributions made by participants to the study and the responsibility that GUiNZ has to ensure that the study provides benefit for Māori children and young people. Our stakeholder and cohort engagement plans are currently being updated to ensure that Māori participants are well supported within our 12Y DCW and that our processes respond to the realities of Māori (and Pacific) experiences of Covid-19 including ongoing lockdown restrictions in Tāmaki Makaurau and the stressors associated with widespread transmission and inequities in the vaccine programme (Whitehead et al. 2021a, 2021b). Research for mutual benefit also requires communication activities that prioritise sharing of findings with Māori participants and communities in timely and meaningful ways, and the development of pathways that will support Māori student and researcher development, particularly in spaces where Kaupapa Māori methodologies can intersect with longitudinal and lifecourse analytic approaches.

The principle of development reminds all GUiNZ data users about their responsibility to undertake research that will support flourishing and promising futures for tamariki, rangatahi and whānau Māori. While transformation is central within a Kaupapa Māori methodological approach, the creation of evidence to support Māori wellbeing is not always prioritised, particularly if they lack collaborative relationships with Māori. The whāriki (woven mat) model for GUiNZ highlights the cross-cutting nature of the Māori, Pacific and Asian themes and therefore the opportunity for researchers working in any domain to make a positive contribution to tamariki Māori outcomes. Furthermore, a number of frameworks have been developed that would fit well within the goals of the GUiNZ including the work of Prof. Sir Mason Durie who describes measures of Māori wellbeing at the level of individual, collectives/families and for populations (Durie 2006) and more recent work by Dr. Fiona Cram who presented indicators of tamariki Māori wellbeing that sit within ihi (confidence and esteem of tamariki), wehi (conditions that enable tamariki to hold the awe of life), and wana (tamariki holding a love of life) constructs (Cram 2019). Further to this, the mātauranga principle recognises the opportunity that GUiNZ has to generate and advance knowledge about whānau Māori futures. Therefore, in order for evidence to be transformative, we must prioritise research questions and analyses that are meaningful to Māori, that speak directly to experiences of tamariki, rangatahi and whānau Māori and are communicated in ways that support Māori communities and policy-makers to enact processes of change.

The principle of human dignity requires the GUiNZ study and collaborating researchers to consider how their research processes uphold the mana (prestige, status) of participating whānau. The development of a tikanga Māori framework for the delivery of the 12Y DCW ensures that field operations teams, including the Māori hub are engaging with whānau in culturally-meaningful ways. Relatedly, the engagement principle requires GUiNZ to prioritise sharing of information back to Māori participants so that whānau can make fully-informed decisions about their ongoing participation in this longitudinal study and importantly, to demonstrate how their data provides significant value to research and policy in Aotearoa.

The principle of enhancement encourages transdisciplinary collaboration, particularly between the GUiNZ domains and themes for the purposes of undertaking excellent and innovative research, but also for action and advocacy for whānau Māori and communities. There is a need for GUiNZ to better support Māori student and researcher development both as a contribution to the broader goals for Māori workforce development but also to ensure that research that draws on Māori data is led, partnered and undertaken by a highly skilled Māori workforce.

The Kaitiaki principle informs the GUiNZ Data Access Policy through the provision of a definition of good guardianship which includes the requirement that data are ‘ … analysed, interpreted, reported and published in culturally-appropriate ways’. The following questions are used as prompts in the GUiNZ DAC application:

• How does the proposed purpose and/or research question provide benefit for Māori?

• How does the proposed purpose and/or research question provide benefit for other cultural groups?

• How does the proposed purpose and/or research question create any potential risks for Māori, and if potential risks for Māori are identified, how may these be mitigated?

• How does the proposed purpose and/or research question create any potential risks for other cultural groups, and if potential risks are identified, how may these be mitigated?

• How will culturally appropriate analyses and interpretations be conducted? Examples: How do you intend to use and interpret ethnic identity variable(s)?

• Is ethnic identity intended to be used as an explanatory variable?

• Is there an intention to consider both strengths-based and risk-based variables?

• How will the results be interpreted in order to maximise utility for Māori and other cultural groups?

Kaitiakitanga for the future

The 12Y DCW marks an important transition for GUiNZ, reorienting our focus from mothers to the cohort children themselves as the primary respondents in our study. The inclusion of youth reference or advisory groups is increasingly commonplace in research and policy contexts and involving rangatahi in GUiNZ would likely result in the (re-) design of questionnaires that better reflect rangatahi Māori visions of wellbeing and data collection processes and communication strategies that meet young people in the physical and digital spaces that they prefer and feel most comfortable engaging in. The Kaitiaki principles can reveal and support the strength of rangatahi perspectives, autonomy and decision-making skills within a research context (Barbarich 2019) and their potential to inspire and inform a future-focused approach to GUiNZ data governance and data sovereignty. However, as the Māori Theme Working group we find ourselves wondering how rangatahi Māori might benefit from this kind of involvement in GUiNZ. From a Kaupapa Māori viewpoint, asking questions about ‘who benefits’ requires engaging in a conversation about power relationships including how they are shaped and maintained in longitudinal studies that are, by their own design, an exercise in sustaining mutually-beneficial relationships with its participants and communities. It is at this point that the Kaitiaki principles can support GUiNZ to not only reorient our data collection processes but also reorient how we acknowledge rangatahi as more than participants or policy targets but as guardians of whenua, whakapapa and whānau (Burgess and Painting 2020). Engaging with rangatahi Māori in this way would be a new direction for GUiNZ; however, exemplars for success already exist with rangatahi Māori already taking action in critical spaces such as land reclamation and protection, antiracism and climate change (Gifford 2021; Ritchie 2021).

In conclusion, we return to the original purpose of this commentary which was to remember and acknowledge the significant potential that Māori knowledges and Kaupapa Māori approaches hold for longitudinal research in Aotearoa. The Kaitiaki principles have provided a Māori cultural and ethical framework through which benefits for Māori from longitudinal research could be realised. They have also guided how GUiNZ researchers work and do research together, underpinning our current data collection processes and shaping how we think about the future with tamariki and whānau Māori at the core. The Kaitiaki principles have proved to be enduring, holding true to the tikanga Māori value of guardianship but flexing and adapting in ways that ensures GUiNZ remains responsive to Māori and to Te Tiriti o Waitangi throughout the course of its lifetime and despite changing expectations for the research and science sector and advancements in data methodologies and technologies. Finally, we look forward to the next phase of GUiNZ and the possibilities that the Kaitiaki principles offer us, particularly in our engagement with rangatahi Māori – the kaitiaki of our futures.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).