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    Em-power lifting : a case study of women’s weightlifting in Aotearoa : a research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of International Development, Institute of Development Studies, School of People, Environment and Planning, Te Kunenga Ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Aotearoa New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2022) Ogilvy, Jamie R. I.
    Through application of an Indigenous (Māori) informed theoretical framing, articulated as Mana Wāhine values, this research report explores the phenomenon of weightlifting with Indigenous (Māori) women from Aotearoa New Zealand, as a vehicle for empowerment. The research project was guided by two main research questions, firstly, what is the role of weightlifting in developing personal, relational, and collective empowerment for Aotearoa New Zealand Indigenous (Māori) women? Secondly, how does this empowerment align with strengthening the values, understood as Mana Wāhine values, of Indigenous (Māori) women? Data was collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews, nine wāhine (female) participants and one tane (male) participant. All participants were aged between 20 – 50 years old and had been participating in strength sports as an athlete or coach or both; six female and one male who were current or past Olympic weightlifters, two female strong women competitors and one power lifter. All participants were of Māori decent or coached wāhine Māori or were allies/accomplices (Whitinui, 2021) of Māori women in strength sport. Findings suggest that weightlifting and strength-based training enhanced the development of the self, increased body satisfaction thus positivity towards body image because women identifying as feeling physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually strong and thus powerful. Their ability to set and achieve goals was enhanced and this carried over into other areas of life. While seemingly an individual sport, feelings of belonging and camaraderie indicated better relational empowerment, as well as collective empowerment due to being part of the lifting community and subscribing to a similar kaupapa. In terms of how these changes aligned with Mana Wāhine values, wāhine spoke about having a sense of authority, notions of manaakitanga and giving back to others and the kaupapa of strong wāhine. Overall, this research highlights that strength-based sport like weightlifting can be a vehicle for personal, relational, and collective empowerment with these elements lending themselves towards strengthening Mana Wāhine values. Of great importance here was the transformative implications noted for women. However, any broader transformative impacts beyond the individuals will require the ongoing challenges of predetermined ideologies i.e., stereotypes of women not being strong, or norms, rules, exclusionary practices and under resourcing, for example, which sees women’s lifting to be situated at the margins. Empowerment of the individual is all well and good, but the individual can only go so far. “Empowerment requires changes to systems, rules, and norms, which undermine large groups of people [Māori women], as well as changes at the level of the individual” (Scheyvens, 2020, p. 120).
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    Colonial discourses of deviance and desire and the bodies of wāhine Māori : a thesis presented in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Creative Arts at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2024) Allen, Elizabeth Anne
    This research traces how colonial ideologies of race, gender, and sexuality contributed to nineteenth and early twentieth-century representations of wāhine Māori and questions how these repetitive inscriptions might continue to have a negative impact on perceptions of wāhine Māori and kōtiro Māori in contemporary culture. As a Mana Wahine study, I demonstrate that fundamental codes of the developing colonial state were affirmed by how Pākehā guarded sexuality, ordered gender, and surveilled race. As a wahine Māori centred project, it examines the colonial dimensions of “domesticity,” the “civilising mission,” and the ‘paternalism of liberalism’ in Aotearoa/New Zealand, specifically, on the assumption that differentiations of race and colonial power were essentially ordered in terms of Western notions of gender. Of particular concern is the management of wāhine Māori sexuality, procreation, child-rearing, and marriage as a mechanism of colonial control of their bodies. Focusing on spaces of perceived proximity and desire as a source from which we can search for newly recognisable forms of social perceptions in relating, it offers an engagement with myriad forms of art across multidisciplinary fields to provide a unique window into a colonial exercise of the imperial project that had a direct impact on the bodies of wāhine Māori. A critical examination of the colonial metaphors around desire and degeneration, of the intimate and affect, attempts to decolonise its representative paradigms by addressing the consequential structural and material histories that, for wāhine Māori, resulted in meting out differential futures based on ‘fabulated’ divisions of worth, prompting the central questions of the dissertation, how are bodies similar or not? How are bodies available or not? How are bodies knowable or not? And to whom?
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    Being big, becoming small : conversations with Māori women about weight loss surgery : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Albany, Aotearoa, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Joensen, Clare
    Weight loss surgery is increasingly being used to combat obesity, resulting in recipients becoming more visible in society. This in turn facilitates the normalising of what once would have been considered a radical medical procedure and the proliferation of discourse that more often than not measures success against models of slimness and appearance and underplays the downsides of surgery. Through the use of a narrative phenomenological approach, this research explores the experiences of surgery recipients, specifically Māori women, and asks the question; ‘how does the embodiment of radical change impact on relationality, interiority, conviviality, and ‘being in the world’?’ Through learning from Māori women, this research also explores how being Māori shapes experience both before and after surgery and in doing so, contrasts to literature which frames experiences of indigenous women through a Foucauldian lens of colonialism. I argue that, as Māori, these women are supported by the collective – significantly so – but also have to grapple with and push back negative discourses that leak into their world. I also argue that life post-surgery is entangled with both liminality and potentialities; precarious, unsettled and unsettling, while being simultaneously imbued with hope and focused towards an extending future. Surgery does transform bodies through enabling tremendous weight loss but also transfigures far more than it is designed to do.
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    Ngā mea kōaro o ngā wā tamarikitanga, te taumahatanga o aua mea me ētahi mahi whakaora hinegaro mō ngā wāhine Māori = Adverse childhood experiences, HPA axis functioning and culturally enhanced mindfulness therapy among Māori women in Aotearoa New Zealand : a dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Ketu-McKenzie, Miriama Deborah
    Chronic health conditions such as obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression and anxiety are prevalent among Māori women in New Zealand, as are adverse experiences in childhood and chronic stress. Recent studies have shown a link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and chronic health problems later in life. Many of those studies propose that dysregulation in the stress response system - specifically the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis - mediates that link. Cortisol is the primary corticosteroid released by the HPA axis and is commonly used as a biomarker for assessing HPA axis functioning. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a therapy that uses a range of breathing techniques, stretches, formal meditations and awareness exercises designed to help regulate the stress response by changing the way the brain manages and relates to stress. Due to its Eastern roots, MBSR therapy assumes an holistic view of health that mirrors some of the key concepts promoted in Te Ao Māori. This research tested the HPA axis functioning of eight adult Māori women who had experienced high ACEs, and explored associations between cortisol dysregulation, visceral obesity (a risk factor for many chronic health conditions) and psychological distress. This research also tested the clinical effectiveness and cultural responsiveness of an MBSR course that had been enhanced to suit a Māori audience. Participants provided pre, mid and post-treatment salivary cortisol samples that measured changes to their acute stress cortisol response, as well as changes to their daily cortisol slope, their cortisol awakening response and their overall cortisol levels. They also provided pre and post-treatment waist circumference measurements. Self-report data assessing depression and anxiety levels, PTSD levels, stress eating habits, perceived stress levels and mindful awareness levels, was collected, as was qualitative data in the form of pre and post-treatment interviews. The results indicated that culturally enhanced MBSR therapy was well received with this sample of Māori women and that the participants reported a wide range of benefits as a result of practicing mindfulness meditation.
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    No limit : imagining the boundaries of autonomy in a post-Fordist colonial settler state : thesis submission for a Master of Fine Arts (Fine Arts), Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Aoake, Hana Pera
    This exegesis will address the context of being a young, Māori artist living in a Post-Fordist colonial settler state. It will centre what these conditions what labour and the production of art looks like in Aotearoa, by analysing the ways in which our labour now fails to distinguish between ‘work’ and ‘occupation’. It will look at the way in which autonomy has been stripped through the tokenisation of a certain kind of indigenous practice that forces Māori artists into both performing indigeneity for Pākehā, as well as existing within individualistic imperial narrative that is toxic, colonising and alienating. I will discuss how this attempts to diminish the collaborative and intuitive approach to making art that is inherent within a larger history of contemporary Māori art by referring to senior wahine toa artists such as Shona Rapira-Davies. This research is explicitly centered around how the building of healthy, meaningful, ongoing working relationships with people I love has helped me redefine who my practice is for in spaces outside of the white cube. It will blend ideas garnered from both Western and indigenous frameworks, citing writing from theorists and artists including Hito Steyerl, Martha Rosler, Paolo Virno, Faith Wilson, Jenny Holzer and Natasha Matila-Smith (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Hine). It is hoped that in writing this exegesis I can articulate some adequate solutions to the current model for the production of art, which I believe is unsustainable and centered around ties to very colonial ideas of ‘community’ and of collaboration, particularly with the sharing of ideas and space.
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    Understanding the quit smoking journeys of Ngāti Raukawa women : barriers and supports : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2004) Taite, Sharon
    The purpose of this thesis was to record the journeys of 6 Ngāti Raukawa women who had tried to quit smoking and to identify the barriers and supports which the women experienced during quitting. A key focus of this thesis was to examine the barriers and supports for quitting which occurred within the marae, hapū and iwi environments of these women. A qualitative research approach using kaupapa Māori and Māori-centred research methods were used. The objective was achieved by undertaking in-depth qualitative interviews which identified issues around smoking and quitting within the participants daily lives, namely at work, home and in other social situations and compared these with other studies. This study extends the knowledge base about Māori women and smoking by contributing and extending the information available to influence policies and strategies at all levels, but more specifically at hapū, marae, iwi and Māori. The prominence of addressing hapū, marae and iwi issues is a unique aspect of this thesis. The participants experiences were reflective of the literature, however factors which impacted on smoking and quitting within Ngāti Raukawa hapū, marae and iwi settings were exacerbated given that in these instances cultural influences combined with other environmental factors to bring about high smoking rates. At the same time this study also showed that there is the potential to reduce smoking rates within these same settings although this will require a concerted effort from hapū, marae and iwi. What is required is a change in policy and behaviour across the whole community.
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    The highs and lows of sole parenting experienced by wāhine Māori : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Philosophy (Health) at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Matipou, Ripeka
    Wāhine Māori and their experiences of sole parenting is an important field of study although it is under-examined in the field of research. The topic is common in literature that is related to political, economic and educational issues of children being raised by a sole parent. An examination of the experiences of wāhine Māori sole parents is the focus of this study and is an area with very little academic research. This research was conducted using a qualitative approach relevant in exploratory research that focuses on experiences and perceptions of people, in this research wāhine Māori. A kanohi ki kanohi interview process enabled the voices of the wāhine Māori to be heard, prompting their detailed lived experiences. Kaupapa Māori, Māori-centred research and a Mana wāhine approach guided and influenced this research. The findings from this research showed that wāhine Māori identified the importance of education, therefore completing academic studies and seeking employment. Essentially they became role models for their tamariki. A major contribution was the significant supportive role played by the grandfathers who had fundamentally parented them then went on to manaaki their mokopuna. Other ‘good men’ had made an impact with the tamariki for example mentoring them through sporting ventures. A recognition for the wāhine Māori as sole parents was they were successful in parenting their tamariki for their future growth and development and therefore strived for the same outcomes as others in society. Finally, these insights provide the basis for recommendations to improve social services for wāhine Māori and principles to guide their future development.
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    He Wāhine, He Tapu = The Sanctity of Women : an exhibition report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Māori Visual Arts at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Wilson, Janelle
    This report contextualises the exhibition, He Wāhine, He Tapu. My research into puhi (chief’s daughter) and mana wāhine (women of status), along with the methodology and practice which produced this exhibition is discussed. The literature review covers the status of Puhi and other female leaders in traditional Māori society, in particular, the sacredness of the whare tangata (house of humankind, or womb), linking wāhine (Māori women) to the atua wāhine (goddesses) of Māori creation stories. This body of work explores notions of tapu (sacred or restricted) and noa (normal or free from restriction), identity, the complementary nature of the sexes in traditional society and the impact of colonisation. The underpinning questions are; who is the puhi? What role did she play? What makes her special? And where is she today? The review of artists examines the history of portraiture and early photography, particularly that of Māori, as well as links to contemporary artists working in this genre. I have used Manawa Kāi Tahu, a cultural, social, environmental and economical framework as a tool for the analytical component, grounding this practice in Māori philosophy, values and tikanga (protocol), and locating this work as culturally relevant within Te Ao Māori (the Māori world view). The six values are – Tohutanga (capability and development), Rangatiratanga (self-determination and upholding the integrity of others), Kaitiakitanga (stewardship and enhancing resources), Manaakitanga (hospitality, health and safety and wellbeing of self and others), and Whanaungatanga (kinship and communication). The exhibition is also positioned within He Tātaitanga Kaupapa āhua toi; a Māori art continuum (Jahnke 2006), using the classes of customary, non- customary and trans-customary art. How this body of work aligns with the categories of noncustomary and trans-customary is also discussed.