This co-authored paper centres the Māori cultural practice of tangi, both as a way to heal and to be heard, for four new and emerging Māori community health researchers involved in a Kaupapa Māori research mentorship. If research mentorships are about growing research capability and capacity, we highlight here that another important ‘c’ comes first – confidence. For over 20 years, Kaupapa Māori theory and research have carved out critically important space for Māori to research ‘as Māori’ in academia, yet omnipresent colonialism continues to cast doubts on the validity of our voices as researchers, and our ‘worthiness’ or ability to step confidently into research space. Here, four emerging Māori researchers who are committed to making research-informed health changes in our communities share how our confidence to ‘do’ research grew during a summer Kaupapa Māori research mentorship. We each experience the emotion of tangi – be it a bird’s call or weeping – in different ways. Therefore, rather than offer advice on ‘how to become confident as an emerging Kaupapa Māori researcher’, this co-authored paper encourages you to hear, and importantly feel, these stories about ‘becoming’ and to consider how research must do better to create more Kaupapa Māori-led opportunities for Māori to confidently step into research with, and for, their communities.
Smith, H., Sarich, J., Eruera, T., Campbell-Strickland, A-M., and Mato Bartlett, L. (2023). Whakarongo ki te Tangi! – Listen to Our Tears, Listen to Our Call! Learnings from a Summer Research Mentorship to Grow Kaupapa Māori Community Health Researchers. Unitec ePress Occasional and Discussion Paper Series (4/2023). Unitec ePress.
https://doi.org/10.34074/ocds.105
Unitec ePress periodically publishes occasional and discussion papers that discuss current and ongoing research authored by members of staff and their research associates. All papers are blind reviewed. For more papers in this series please visit: www.unitec.ac.nz/epress/index.php/category/publications/epress-series/discussion-and-occasionalpapers.
Authors: Dr Hinekura Smith, Jenn Sarich, Taoitekura Eruera, Ann-Margaret Campbell-Strickland and Lillian Mato Bartlett
ISSN: 2326-3635
Date of publication: 2/11/2023