Scientific Collaborative Research with Māori Communities: Kaupapa or Kūpapa Māori?

2009

Int Social Sci J

Self Cite

Ethical review is an integral part of the process of developing research and considering issues associated with the production of knowledge. It is part of a system that primarily legitimises western traditions of inquiry and reinforces western assumptions about knowledge and its benefit to society. Around the world the process of colonisation has excluded indigenous understandings. In New Zealand, Māori (indigenous) knowledge has been similarly marginalised; this pattern is also reflected within ethical review. Māori values, while acknowledged, are not yet considered to have equal weight in ethical deliberations. The notion of collective rights and the possibility of developing processes to allow collective consent to be recognised and mandated by ethics committees have been raised by communities but largely ignored by the ethical review system. While kaupapa Māori researchers espouse the benefits of closer community involvement, policy makers and ethics committees have focused on “consultation” as the mechanism which confirms proof of engagement, the establishment of community support, and the relevance of the project. This article highlights the potential of the concept of collective consent in negotiations between researchers and communities.

Section: Systematising Ethicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Think globally, act locally: collective consent and the ethics of knowledge production

2009

Int Social Sci J

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“…However, ethics committees are not without influence in this regard. By default, ethical review is one measure of research excellence and ethical approval is often a prerequisite for receiving government research funds (Ahuriri-Driscoll et al 2008). The Treaty of Waitangi is in effect a partnership arrangement and as such any interpretation of this document should reflect the understandings of both parties.…”

Section: Incorporating the Treaty Into Research Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Treaty of Waitangi and Research Ethics in Aotearoa

Russell

2008

Bioethical Inquiry

Researchers, when engaging with Māori communities, are in a process of relationship building and this process can be guided by the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, partnership, participation and protection. The main concerns for many indigenous peoples in research revolve around respect for their indigenous rights, control over research processes and reciprocity within research relationships to ensure that equitable benefits are realised within indigenous groups. Māori have identified similar issues and these concerns can be aligned with the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. The relevance of the Treaty of Waitangi to research ethics is discussed and this paper suggests a revised interpretation of the treaty principles to incorporate the range of ethical issues that Māori have expressed as important.

“…The first of these is to critique and question existing systems of research, whilst the second supports the development of new Māori-led approaches. The emphasis on research that is "by Māori, for Māori" has led to an increase in the number of Māori researchers, the growth of Māori research approaches, the development of Māori ethical frameworks, the advent of Māori responsiveness requirements within research funding criteria, and the establishment of funding mechanisms that prioritise communityinitiated research questions (Ahuriri-Driscoll, Hudson et al, 2007). These changes have seen the mobilisation of research resources in areas of interest to Māori communities: a reclaiming of the right to ask questions of relevance to Māori, and Māori alone.…”

Section: Background the Research Context In Aotearoa (New Zealand)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Enacting Kaitiakitanga: Challenges and Complexities in the Governance and Ownership of Rongoā Research Information

Boulton

Ahuriri‐Driscoll

et al. 2014

iipj

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This article explores the tensions one research team has faced in securing appropriate governance or stewardship (which we refer to as kaitiakitanga) of research data. Whilst ethical and regulatory frameworks exist which provide a minimum standard for researchers to meet when working with Māori, what our experience has highlighted is there is currently a "governance" gap in terms of who should hold stewardship of research data collected from Māori individuals or collectives. In the case of a project undertaken in the traditional healing space, the organisation best placed to fulfil this governance role receives no funding or support to take on such a responsibility; consequently by default, this role is being borne by the research team until such time as capacity can be built and adequate resourcing secured. In addition, we have realised that the tensions played out in this research project have implications for the broader issue of how we protect traditional knowledge in a modern intellectual property law context, and once again how we adequately support those, often community-based organisations, who work at the interface between Indigenous knowledge and the Western world.