Name: Dr Matiu Rātima

Institution: The University of Canterbury

Project Title: Tūrou Hawaiki: Morning karakia and waiata as a culturally responsive pedagogy

Project location: Canterbury University Campus Rehua building (with flexible work from home arrangements)

Project Summary: The physiological, psychological and social benefits of singing together are well established in research (see for example Bungay et al., 2010). But relatively little research has investigated the specific benefits of waiata and karakia in the New Zealand context.

Local researchers have established clear links between the strategic use of karakia and waiata to promote wellbeing (see for example Rollo, 2013 and Hodgson, 2018) in the context of Music therapy. Practice-based research in teacher education advocates karakia and waiata as forms of culturally responsive teaching (Ratima et al., 2020, Karaka-Clarke et al., 2021). However, little has been done to shed light on the specific potential for tikanga Māori to help build cohesion and understanding amongst teacher educators and student teachers who need to develop cultural competence in order to negotiate the diversity of learning environments.

The research team are curious to know what effect karakia and waiata can be shown to have on wellbeing. Since its inception, just prior to the world-wide outbreak of the Covid-19 virus in 2020, the practice of holding open regular karakia and waiata in the foyer of Rehua at the University of Canterbury has been lauded for its ability to uplift and empower staff and students. This initiative has assembled a group of regular attendees, an online following (via Facebook Live streaming), and temporary daily additions from visiting groups, meeting attendees or passers-by. Anecdotally, staff report that their well-being is positively affected by participating, as it prepares them for their teaching. Students comment to the sense of belonging they feel singing with staff.

This project will explore the impact of daily karakia and waiata in a tertiary institution. It will use a braided rivers methodological approach (Macfarlane, A & Macfarlane, S., 2019) and data will be gathered through survey responses across a 4-week period, hui and semi-structured interviews.