Article: Project Kainga's Tepora & Rochelle. (2024). Te Pūngāwerewere Pukumahi: A research paradigm for within Te Ao Māori

Te Pūngāwerewere Pukumahi has been developed as a unified research approach grounded in Te Ao Māori, applicable across all disciplines. Designed by Māori scholars Tepora Davies and Rochelle Mackintosh who worked at the interface of community, mātauranga and academia, it responds to a recognised gap: while many strong Māori research frameworks exist, few offer an integrated paradigm that holds the full breadth of Māori values at its core.

The framework guides researchers to create culturally safe, relational spaces for collaborative inquiry. Its pou — mātauranga, mana, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, whakawhanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga, kotahitanga and rangatiratanga — are anchored by mauri as the central life force.

Imagined as an industrious spider, the pūngāwerewere pukumahi (the researcher) intentionally weaves a research web, connecting and sustaining each pou through whakapapa. In doing so, the framework strengthens research practice in Te Ao Māori by ensuring that relationships, responsibilities and values are not peripheral, but foundational.

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