In the past, Maori experiences of research have been described by Jahnke and Taiapa (1999) as follows: "Contemporary Maori society has become increasingly focused on issues of self-sufficiency, self-determination and whanau, hapu and iwi development. Attempts to address these issues have highlighted a lack of satisfactory research in respect of these and other Maori concerns. Much of the research done on Maori in the past has proven to be of little benefit to Maori themselves, tending to emphasise negative statistics without attempting to provide the information necessary to effect positive change. As a consequence, many Maori treat research with a degree of suspicion, questioning both the motives of researches and the methodologies employed" (p.37). A number of tools have been used to define the public health of Maori, including Maori women. This dissertation aims to describe some of the methodologies and methods used in relation to analytical frameworks developed by leading Maori research academics such as Linda Tuhiwai Smith, in critiquing research undertaken defining the key public health issues for Maori women. Maori Health Researchers experiences of research, methodologies and methods used have also been determined based on qualitative interview techniques. There are currently significant gaps in both the information in determining the methodologies and methods used, particularly in research contributing to gains for Maori women.

This study examines the �Kai o te Hauora� Maori Community nutrition training delivered by Maori Provider, Te Hotu Manawa Maori as a means of bringing about nutritional change in a Maori community. The aim of the Kai o te Hauora Training is to empower iwi and Maori communities with the skills, knowledge and resources to enable them to make informed decisions about their nutritional health. The research methods were grounded in Kaupapa Maori research methodology. Three community members who have taken part in the Kai o te Hauora training were interviewed as well as those people with whom they have networked within the wider community. Formal unstructured interviews were carried out with a total of twenty-three people over a twenty month period from November 1998 to June 2000. The interviews were each transcribed and analysed for key themes. The results of the interviews documented the changes in behaviour and attitudes toward nutrition for the Maori community in the Whakatane region, through the stories of the three community members who had taken part in the training. Their successes and difficulties in attempting to influence change were also recorded. The success of the Kai o te Hauora training in relation to the literature is discussed. The importance of working from a Kaupapa Maori framework in both nutrition interventions and research relating to Maori is emphasised. This framework inherently acknowledges the importance of Maori networks, values and concepts. The importance of the Kai o te Hauora training principle of empowerment is also acknowledged as being fundamental to the programmes success. The need for further research to measure the impact of the Kai o te Hauora programme, and Maori women�s contributions to their communities is noted, as is the need for this research to have been carried out within a Kaupapa Maori framework.

More is becoming known about the importance of sleep to health, with inadequate sleep recognised as a significant public health issue. Sleep clinics have reported disproportionate numbers of Māori and Pacific peoples with more severe obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS), raising concerns about accessibility of services and possible differences in prevalence between ethnic groups. Prevalence information on sleep disorders in Aotearoa is needed to assess its public health impact and plan for population health care needs. This thesis presents a national study examining the prevalence of OSAS symptoms and risk factors among Maori and non-Maori adults in Aotearoa. This project is also situated within the wider scope of ethnic inequalities in health between Maori and non-Maori and is concerned with making a positive contribution to Maori health and the elimination of disparities. Kaupapa Maori Research (KMR) is the underlying methodology that drives this study. As such, it assumes a Maori norm, and prioritises Maori needs. A Maori/non-Maori analytical framework is used that distinguishes Maori as tangata whenua, addresses Maori health needs as well as non-Maori, and enables the monitoring of guarantees as outlined by the Treaty of Waitangi. The goals of this thesis were to estimate the prevalence of OSAS symptoms and risk factors among Maori and non-Maori adults in New Zealand, and to examine independent predictive variables for specific OSAS symptoms. An objective was also to contribute to KMR through designing and undertaking a KMR project using a quantitative method, with the development of concepts for use in other areas of research. In April 1999, a short questionnaire was sent to a sample of 10000 New Zealands (5500 of Maori descent and 4500 non-Maori participants to enable research questions to be examined with equal statistical power for both groups. The results demonstrate that the prevalence of OSAS symptoms and risk factors, particularly among non-Maori, are comparable to other international studies, indicating that OSAS is likely to be a common problem among adults in Aotearoa. Furthermore, the results suggest that Maori are significantly more likely to suffer from OSAS than non-Maori, with higher rates of symptoms and risk factors of OSAS among both men and women. As an area of medicine that is under-serviced in Aotearoa, the results provide important information with which to plan for population needs. There are a number of health implications from this study, relating specifically to the diagnosis and management of OSAS in Aotearoa, and to Maori health and the elimination of disparities. These are multi-levelled and include health service implications across the continuum of care, from specialist sleep services to primary care; public health implications that involve preventive measures and broader determinants of health; and KMR principles that can be applied to interventions and health research in general. As a KMR project the implications and recommendations focus on Maori health research in general. As a KMR project the implications and recommendations focus on Maori health gain and addressing disparities in health. This is consistent with Maori health rights, and a population approach that considers health inequalities and the role of wider determinants of health and health services.

For Maori, the management fo New Zealand�s coast and its resources is fundamental to their cultural identity. Iwi and hapu throughout New Zealand have close relationships with the coast and unique rights and responsibilities for its future management. However, there does not appear to be wide recognition of the crucial role of Maori in New Zealand�s coastal management regime. Co-management initiatives in coastal management, particularly under the Conservation Act 1987, Resource Management Act 1991 and several legislative initiatives controlling fisheries management, are explored and critiqued. Overall, the initiatives demonstrate that progress is being made in coastal management for better protection of Maori coastal values. Nevertheless, there is scope for further improvements concerning greater Maori involvement in coastal management. Recommendations for genuine co-management systems in New Zealand�s coastal management regime include effective communication between iwi and Government; appreciation of the unique nature of each iwi in New Zealand; involvement of a third party communicating between iwi and Government representatives; appropriate funding and resources to maintain the co-management system, and encouragement and motivation from the Government to initiate and maintain the co-management system.

The rhizome of the bracken fern was an important part of the subsistence base of the pre-contact Maori of Aotearoa. It provided an essential source of starch - especially to the southern Maori, who relied mainly upon wild resources for the vegetable component of their diet. The preparation of the rhizome (or fern-root) for consumption necessitated the beating of the cooked root upon a smooth stone anvil. The implement that was used to beat the fern-root is an important Maori tool which, until now, has had little detailed attention paid to it. Therefore, the aim of this research was to characterize the form of the fern-beater using morphological attributes. Through the combination of a comprehensive literature review of enthographic-historical accounts and more contemporary documentary research, along with a nationwide survey of implements labelled as "fern-root beaters" in museum collections, this thesis identifies a number of critical and common attributes that are inherent in a beating implement. It was found that wooden and stone beaters/pounders were dissimilar in size and proportions, with the majority of wooden implements displayed larger circumference dimensions, were shorter and considerably heavier, thus casting some doubt on their practicality as a beating implement. Four distinct morphological forms were identified for both the wooden and stone items surveyed, and it was found that metric variables were more significant in suggesting function than non-metric. Regional distribution analysis of the survey implements highlighted a northern North Island predominance, particularly in the Northland, Auckland, Taranaki and Waikato regions. A tenuous comparison with Simpson�s distribution of prehistoric dental attrition known as "fern-root plane" showed a loose regional correlation, however; the actual cause of this tooth wear is still a hotly contested issue.

In the 1970s and 1980s New Zealand experienced significant socio-economic upheaval due in part to the global economy, economic experiments, and the gains of Maori activism. Despite the divisiveness of this period (or possibly because of it), anxieties over notions of New Zealand national identity were heightened. There was a general feeling among many Kiwis that New Zealand culture (however it was defined) was in danger of extinction, mostly due to the dominant influences of the United states and Britain. New Zealanders sought ways to distinguish themselves and their nation. One of the ways in which this desire was manifested was in the establishment of the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC). This government sponsored body corporate was designed to provide an infrastructure for New Zealand filmmaking, through which New Zealand and New Zealanders could be represented. As a result, New Zealand filmmaking boomed during the early to mid-1980s. Significantly, this boom occurred simultaneous to the increasing relevance and importance of notions of biculturalism, both in cultural and socio-political terms. The question that drives this thesis is how (or whether) biculturalism was articulated in the explicit or implicit relationships between cultural debates, governmental policies, the NZFC�s own policies and practices and its interaction with filmmakers. This thesis examines the ways in which aspects of the discourse of biculturalism feature in New Zealand cinema of the 1980s in terms of the content, development, production and marketing of three films of this era that share particular bicultural themes and elements: Utu (Geoff Murphy, 1983), The Quiet Earth (Geoff Murphy, 1985) and Arriving Tuesday (Richard Riddiford, 1986). This thesis also examines the role of the NZFC in these processes as prescribed by legislation and in terms of the NZFC�s own policies and procedures. This thesis consults a variety of primary and secondary sources in its research. Primary sources include film texts, public documents, archival material, trade journals, and interviews with important figures in the New Zealand film industry. Conclusions suggest that the interaction of numerous socio-historical factors, and the practices and policies of the NZFC, denote a process that was not direct in its articulation of notions of biculturalism. Rather, this involved an array of complex cultural, fiscal. industrial, professional and aesthetic forces.

This research was designed to see whether the clinical method espoused by Moira Stewart et al in the book "Patient-Centered: Transforming The Clinical Method" is appropriate for Pakeha general practitioners to use in clinical consultations with Maori patients. This thesis uses qualitative methodology. One of my supervisors and I selected from the kuia (old women) and kaumatua (old men) of Hauraki those whom I would approach to be involved. Nearly all responded in the affirmative. The kuia and kaumatua talked about their tikanga, about the basis of tikanga, about the spirituality of their Maori worldview. They talked about the need to maintain their tikanga, about qualities that they respect. They described different roles within Maoridom, especially those of the kuia, whaea (mothers) and Tohunga (experts). They refer to a GP as a Tohunga because of the GP�s special expertise. The GP is able to use his or her special expertise to heal Maori patients, but needs to be able to get through barriers to do so. They are also clear that Maori and Pakeha live in two different worlds which can merge in some circumstances. I came to two conclusions. The first is that the elements of Patient-Centered Medicine are relevant to the consultation of a Pakeha GP and Maori patient, and provides a framework that is productive. The second conclusion is that there is a better framework for working with Maori patients, within which Patient-Centered Medicine can be practiced more effectively. Maori already have a framework (tikanga) in which they function, and if in their settings, especially the marae, he or she is welcomed and has a place in their world; tikanga accommodates the GP as a Tohunga and Maori respond to him or her as such. In summary, a Pakeha GP who has some knowledge of tikanga or Maori culture and who has a basic knowledge of the Maori language of tikanga of Maori culture and who has a basic knowledge of the Maori language can work very well for his or her Maori patients by working within the framework of Tikanga Maori and by being patient-centered in consultation.

1999 was the first year that Year 8 Maori immersion students were included in national monitoring in New Zealand. The thesis explores how bilingualism, being a second language learner, and culture impact on student performance. It details the National Education Monitoring Project�s (NEMP) efforts to create fair and valid cross-language and cross-culture assessment. The thesis looks at overseas research on the development, translation and administration of tasks and relates this to NEMP�s processes. Issues and problems that arose during the development, translation and administration of tasks are discussed. Several positions emerge from this thesis. Firstly, that despite the problems encountered, there were some clear �benefits�. Benefits lay primarily in: recognition of the complexity of cross-language and cross-cultural assessment, �improved� assessment and translation processes, professional development, new understanding and knowledge areas, identification of areas for future research and the accumulation of data (albeit in some instances problematic). Secondly, that NEMP went to great efforts to consult with and involve Maori. However, the relationship between NEMP and Maori was compromised in that some sectors within immersion education were ambivalent about participating in national monitoring. This ambivalence impacted in a number of ways on the project and the assessment of immersion students. Thirdly, that the inclusion of immersion students in national monitoring needs to be seen within the wider social, political and historical context of New Zealand. Assessment is not a neutral process. Assessment is a social and political activity that has the potential to advantage certain groups in society and disadvantage others. Fourthly, despite NEMP�s efforts to be fair, inclusive and thorough in its processes there were significant issues that compromised students� performance and the quality of the information gathered. Limited language skills of some students, cultural differences, translation and task administration problems at times worked to the disadvantage of immersion students and raise questions about the validity of some findings. Finally, I suggest that the inclusion of Maori immersion students in national monitoring is in some respects premature and unfair. In particular, questions need to be asked about the fairness and validity of making comparisons between bilingual, second language learners in Maori immersion settings and monolingual Maori students learning in English in the mainstream.

This thesis concerns the life-histories of the two contemporary Polynesian vovaging canoes from Aotearoa New Zealand. It documents the background, construction and voyages of Hawaiki Nui (1979 - 1986) built by Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell and Te Aurere (1992 - 1998) built by Hekenukumai Puhipi Busby. It also highlights the historical and cultural significance of waka for Maori and other indigenous Pacific peoples. Based on my field work as a participant in Maori voyaging between 1996 and 1998, I argue that this revival of waka voyaging reaffirms the cultural identities of contemporary Maori and other Polynesians. The case studies of Hawaiki Nui and Te Aurere confirm the ongoing significance of waka not only in Aotearoa New Zealand, but Pacific-wide. Contemporary Polynesian waka voyaging is historically significant as it revives unique Polynesian skills, such as traditional waka-building, navigation and sailing techniques. It is also culturally significant, as it reinforces central Maori (and Polynesian) cultural concepts, such as whakapapa (genealogy ties) and whanaungatanga (sense of belonging). At a time when Maori(as well as other indigenous Pacific peoples) are constantly negotiating and redefining their cultural boundaries within their respective socio-political contexts, Polynesian voyaging waka are reappearing as a strong symbol of Pacific Islanders� cultural identities. As a symbol of a shared seafaring past they create timeless platforms for Maori and other Polynesians to negotiate the boundaries of their cultures.

Many challenges still exist in the empirical measurement of population size or density of burrow-nesting procellariiforms. Although reasonable precision of burrow occupancy estimates can be achieved with 10-15 transect (20 entrances per transect) per site, unknown levels of bias in burrow occupancy estimates currently prevents reliable estimation of burrow-nesting procellariiform abundance or harvest rates. Because it is unlikely that biases in burrow occupancy are similar among colonies, valid comparisons among sites may require estimates of absolute abundance rather than relative measures of burrow occupancy. The reliability and precision of matrix models for procellariids will depend primarily on the reliability and precision of adult survival estimates. Sensitivities, elasticities and uncertainties of population growth rate to demographic parameters for models with differing structures and parameterisations showed an overwhelming importance of adult survival in determining population growth rate and results of perturbation analyses. Estimates of adult survival should be a primary focus of any procellariid research program involving assessment of population status, or questions of population response to perturbations. Juvenile survival, pre-breeder survival and emigration rates were also shown to be relatively important in determining population growth rate and perturbation analyses. The sensitivity and elasticity of population growth rate to survival rates for all immature stages combined were similar in magnitude to the sensitivity and elasticity of population growth rate to survival rates for fecund birds. Estimation of survival rates for immature birds should also be given high priority in procellariid research programs. The variability in these parameters among populations needs to be assessed if results are to be generalised beyound specific colonies from which parameters are estimated. There is evidence that selective harvest of heavier Titi chicks occurs on at least some islands. However, analyses of a demographic model incorporating different quality chicks showed even extremely high degrees of selective harvest had little influence on population growth rate or perturbation analyses unless overall harvest levels were very high. Comparison of population growth rate and perturbation analyses of models differing in the level of detail in parameterisation or in the number of stages included in the model, showed negligible differences in results. This suggests that simple models, even if based on only sparse data, are adequate to set research priorities and evaluate population response to perturbations such as for the assessment of conservation management options, evaluation of possible causes of population change and assessment of the effects of harvest.