Mātauranga māori of the mouth and teeth among Tairāwhiti māori : thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements the degree of Master of Health Science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Abstract

Ko te waha te kuaha ki te ao — the mouth is the doorway to the world. Māori understand the waha (mouth) as a taonga carrying whakapapa, mana, and identity. Colonisation disrupted these relationships, reducing the waha to a biomedical object and contributing to persistent oral-health inequities among Māori, particularly in Te Tairāwhiti. Tamariki experience some of the highest rates of preventable decay, and whānau often inherit the normalisation of toothlessness as inevitable (Haag et al., 2021; Ministry of Health, 2024). This thesis addresses that problem by reframing oral health within a kaupapa Māori worldview. Using a mixed approach—literature review grounded in mātauranga Māori and thematic analysis of interviews with kaumātua, practitioners, and whānau—the study explores the cultural, spiritual, and ecological dimensions of the waha. Data were analysed through reflexive thematic coding aligned with whakapapa and tikanga principles (Smith, 2012; Pihama, 2010). Findings reveal that the waha remains a vessel of identity, ceremony, and relational authority. Despite colonial disruption, mātauranga Māori persists in everyday practices such as karakia, waiata, and rongoā, and is being revitalised through whānau-led initiatives (Royal, 2003; Kāretu, 1993). Reclaiming the waha emerges as both a health strategy and a decolonising act—restoring cultural confidence, strengthening whānau authority, and challenging systemic inequities (Reid et al., 2014; Stuart et al., 2011). The thesis contributes to academic scholarship by advancing a kaupapa Māori framework of oral health that integrates cosmology, ecology, and relational ethics. For community practice, it offers practical recommendations for whānau-centred models, Kaupapa Māori-led service design, and policy reforms that embed tikanga, reo, and mātauranga Māori (Durie, 1994; Robson et al., 2011). Ultimately, it calls for an Aotearoa where Māori oral health is not defined by loss, but by sovereignty, resilience, and mauri ora.