Navigating, challenging, and embodying cultural hybridity : the lived experiences of wāhine Māori–Pākehā in Aotearoa : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Abstract

This research explores the lived experiences of wāhine Māori–Pākehā in Aotearoa, examining how cultural hybridity is understood and expressed in everyday life. While Māori and Pākehā identities have often been positioned as distinct within certain social and political narratives, less attention has been given to those who live across these cultural worlds. These experiences are particularly significant for wāhine, whose lives are shaped through intersecting cultural and gendered histories. This research used a qualitative approach, drawing on reflexive thematic analysis and informed by Kaupapa Māori and mana wāhine perspectives. Participants shared their experiences through pūrākau, reflecting a narrative orientation, with themes developed from the meanings conveyed within these stories. The findings suggest that for wāhine Māori–Pākehā, cultural hybridity is not a fixed or singular identity, but a relational and evolving process shaped across different life stages and contexts. Three key movements were identified across participants shared experiences. Navigating Cultural Hybridity involved occupying liminal spaces, adapting identity, and negotiating conditional belonging. Challenging Cultural Hybridity involved questioning legitimacy, authenticity, and colonial expectations. Embodying Cultural Hybridity involved growing cultural confidence, intergenerational responsibility, and lived expressions of mana wāhine. These processes are conceptualised through the Navigating, Challenging, and Embodying (NCE) framework, offering an interpretive framework for understanding Māori–Pākehā cultural hybridity. The framework conceptualises these movements as interconnected, nonlinear processes that shift across different life stages and contexts, offering a lens for understanding how wāhine Māori–Pākehā negotiate identity across changing social environments and within the gendered positioning of Māori womanhood. This research suggests that wāhine Māori–Pākehā do not simply exist between cultures but actively navigate and reshape how these cultures are understood, lived, and carried into the future.