Tihei Mauri Ora, Tihei Mana Motuhake: Investigating how trauma impacts rangatahi Māori who offend and their whānau engaged with the youth justice system

Intern

Celia Paul, Ngāpuhi, The University of Auckland

Supervisor

Dr Tania Cliffe-Tautari, Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu, The University of Auckland

Overview

This intern worked alongside of Dr Tania Cliffe-Tautari (Te Arawa, Ngāi Tahu) to analyse data which investigates: How does trauma impact Māori youth who offend, and their whānau, and how can their lived experiences and Māori approaches to Trauma Informed Care shape law and policy related to youth justice to foster whānau flourishing? 

The internship supported a stand-alone study which is part of the Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Matakitenga Award. 

Tihei Mauri Ora, Tihei Mana Motuhake: Breathing mauri and mana motuhake into the lives of rangatahi who offend and their whānau with lived experiences of trauma research project aimed to examine the trauma experiences of rangatahi and their whānau who have had involvement with the youth justice system and state interventions. 

Collecting the voices of rangatahi and whānau enabled the project to analyse narratives against the current social policy responses to both whānau-led decision-making and Māori approaches to trauma-informed care. An analysis of policy and legislation enabled this research to provide recommendations for law and policy reform and suggest improvements to social work practices that are inclusive of Māori approaches to trauma-informed care.