Mātauranga Māori in psychology: Contributions to an Indigenous Psychology

Intern: Kendrex Kereopa-Woon

Supervisor: Dr Waikaremoana Waitoki

University of Waikato

This research explores how traditions are interwoven into the state of living, thinking and being, and how these are inseparable in the context of Māori psychology. This research analyses seven disciplines—te reo (language), mahi harakeke (survival), whakapapa (connections), tangi (emotions), whakataukī and whakatauākī (ethics/values), whakairo (aesthetics), and mahi-a-rehia (performing arts)—and their connection to Mātauranga Māori (Māori Knowledge relevant to Māori psychology). The purpose of this research is to seek and uncover the ways that mātauranga Māori can be sustainably incorporated into the psychology curriculum, taught at the University of Waikato.