School of Health Sciences<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do M\u0101ori athletes in elite sport safely navigate and create balance between their identities as an athlete and as M\u0101ori? How can m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori (M\u0101ori knowledge) in both sport and health assist in encouraging the bicultural rhetoric of Aotearoa? And, in a wider sense, how can M\u0101ori values and belief systems encourage human and environmental health and wellbeing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At first glance, these questions seem very different, but according to Dr Bevan Erueti from the School of Health Sciences the central unifying component is the advancement of M\u0101ori development. \u2018My core research agenda is m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori,\u2019 he explained. \u2018Te ao M\u0101ori \u2014 the M\u0101ori world \u2014 has so much to offer and I really enjoy seeking opportunities to find innovative ways to explore the juxtaposition of te ao M\u0101ori, sport, physical activity and health.\u2019 For instance, in regard to sport, he interviewed elite M\u0101ori athletes from a variety of sporting codes and disciplines, the majority of whom had competed at the Olympic Games, asking them about their experiences and interpretations of what it means to be M\u0101ori while competing in elite level sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Olympics, says Dr Erueti, has provided important opportunities for the inclusion of M\u0101ori knowledge on the global sporting stage, and has had a significant role to play for M\u0101ori athletes themselves. He asked M\u0101ori Olympic athletes how it made them feel to take part in activities such as p\u014dwhiri (welcome ceremonies) or the haka, performed for those who won medals. The athletes said that the haka was one of the highest accolades that anyone could receive, and theywere amazed at the way it was picked up by their non-M\u0101ori sporting peers. Consequently, M\u0101ori athletes felt affirmed in their identity, as M\u0101ori knowledge was being acknowledged and celebrated in positive ways. \u2018M\u0101ori athletes also gain a sense of connection to their whakapapa, their ancestry, in ways that are safe, which also positively impacts on their M\u0101ori identity,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a wider sense, Dr Erueti sees the haka as one method that promotes our national identity in the world arena, andhe has spoken about the haka at the Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington, in reference to the wider protection, enhancement and transmission of cultural and spiritual knowledge. During Aotearoa\u2019s Covid-19 lockdown in April 2020,he presented remotely at an international conference to explicate how the haka continues to be misinterpreted in the media. \u2018The haka is a taonga \u2014 a treasure of high value; it\u2019s more than just a pre-performative act to taking to the sports field, and the international media narrative completely diminishes the value of what those elements of m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori mean to us in Aotearoa,\u2019 he said. Gaining an appreciation of M\u0101ori knowledge by non-M\u0101ori in sport contexts presents opportunities to examine Aotearoa New Zealand\u2019s bicultural journey and evolving notions of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. \u2018The haka presents a segue for M\u0101ori and non-M\u0101ori in sport to seek a deeper understanding of where we come from, who we\u2019re representing, and it creates a shared sense of unity and belonging.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
As well as his work with M\u0101ori elite athletes, Dr Erueti has become increasingly involved in projects that integrate elements of hauora, M\u0101ori perspectives of holistic health and wellbeing, and the connection to whenua (land) and te taiao (the environment). One such project will utilise p\u016br\u0101kau (traditional narratives and stories) to understand the meaning specific hap\u016b (subtribe) and iwi (tribe) give to te taiao, ngahere (forestscapes) and taonga species. \u2018I\u2019m hoping that a M\u0101ori-centric approach will provide a broader understanding of the complex relationships of biodiversity in Aotearoa than what is currently presented.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In another joint project with lead researchers from the University of Waikato, he is collaborating with six different iwi\/health providers and partnering with kaum\u0101tua (M\u0101ori elders) to co-design and examine ways that would best motivate and increase their levels of physical activity, in order to give better quality of life as they age. \u2018Our initial hui [meetings] and w\u0101nanga [discussions] with kaumatua indicate their desire to reconnect with whenua and te reo M\u0101ori [M\u0101ori language] through physical activity while immersing themselves in the p\u016br\u0101kau of their local environment\u2019. He says that affirming conceptual storyscapes of lands and waters that have personal and specific cultural significance will do more than just impact on physical wellbeing, but will also positively influence aspects of their emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Erueti concludes that his research is embedded in M\u0101ori cosmology, ontology and epistemology, consequently the outcomes extend beyond that of typical stakeholder analysis or values analysis research. He says \u2018it will be an absolute privilege to be involved in projects that combine past and present knowledge, and transform that knowledge for future generations. There is so much yet to learn.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DR BEVAN ERUETI Taranaki, Te Ati Haunui-\u0101-Pap\u0101rangi, Ng\u0101ti T\u016bwharetoa School of Health Sciences How do M\u0101ori athletes in elite sport safely navigate and create balance between their identities as an athlete and as M\u0101ori? How can m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori (M\u0101ori knowledge) in both sport and health assist in encouraging the bicultural rhetoric of Aotearoa? And, in a wider sense, how can M\u0101ori values and belief systems encourage human and environmental health and wellbeing? At … Continue reading M\u0101ori interpretations of sport, health and beyond<\/span>