Decolonising Māori-Pākehā Research Collaborations: Towards an Ethics of Whanaungatanga and Manaakitanga in Cross-Cultural Research Relationships

Abstract

In this chapter, we explore the ethics of developing and maintaining meaningful and equitable relationships between Māori and Pākehā scholars and researchers. We begin by asking if it is even desirable, viable, or sustainable to pursue decolonising research in disciplines and relationships that are so deeply entrenched in settler-colonialism. We consider the challenges involved in managing an equitable distribution of decolonising labour in settings with few Indigenous scholars, particularly around the constant work of educating and pointing out ignorance, as well as the emotional labour of dealing with Pākehā vulnerability, inaction, and resistance to change. Building on the Kaupapa Māori principles of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga, we suggest a tangible set of seven strategies or ‘collaborative ethics’ to address these challenges in working together and in actively dismantling while privilege and white supremacy within the Academy and wider world of research.

Citation

Vaeau, T. and Trundle, C. (2020), "Decolonising Māori-Pākehā Research Collaborations: Towards an Ethics of Whanaungatanga and Manaakitanga in Cross-Cultural Research Relationships", George, L., Tauri, J. and MacDonald, L.T.A.o.T. (Ed.) Indigenous Research Ethics: Claiming Research Sovereignty Beyond Deficit and the Colonial Legacy (Advances in Research Ethics and Integrity, Vol. 6), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 207-221. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2398-601820200000006014