This is the whakataukī that came to mind for Heperi Harris, Māori Research Lead, when describing the whānau centred approaches research project that has recently been completed.  

This mahi emerged from phase one of the Healthy Sports Clubs project. The insights from phase one highlighted that Māori sports clubs ensure the whole environment supports the wellbeing of everyone involved and recognise the culture and identity of Māori. From this, Healthy Families Ōtautahi sought to build an understanding to support Māori clubs and grow healthy club environments where whānau wellbeing is a focus. Funding was secured from Te Whatu Ora to undertake this next phase of work, and Heperi was commissioned to begin the research.  

Heperi lead this insight gathering on behalf of Healthy Families Ōtautahi to enable the stories and voices of whānau participating in Māori physical activities and Māori sports clubs to be heard and for understanding to be deepened.  

A Kaupapa Māori qualitative approach was employed for this research to ensure cultural relevance, respect, and inclusivity of Māori perspectives and experiences. Through wānanga, whānau were able to share their experiences of participating in Māori-inclusive physical activities, sports and clubs and how whānau contribute to the physical activity system.  

‘Our role was to hear their experiences and gather some learnings that we can use to support them along their aspirations but also learn in order to share with other modern clubs who are on their journey to being more whānau focussed’ says Heperi when discussing what was captured through this research.  

The findings of this research show that participating in a Māori-inclusive environment foster a strong sense of cultural identity, unity and connection amongst whānau, alongside experiencing health and wellbeing benefits. Through the inclusive practices these clubs, sports and activities adopt, everyone feels welcome and able to show up as their authentic selves.  

With these positives uncovered, there were also challenges raised by whānau says Heperi; ‘Our whānau face barriers to accessing these experiences with finances and transport being some of the big challenges, so we want to make sure we are providing whānau with the information they need to navigate these spaces to ensure all can participate’. 

Overall, the social and cultural return in these whānau-centric environments is high, and the connection fosters a thriving community and supports a life-long love of physical activity which supports the prevention of chronic illness. 

The insights that Heperi gathered have been shared back with whānau that were part of the process and kōrero has occurred around how whānau can influence what happens next. Consideration has been given to how ‘traditional’ clubs can learn from these insights and how mental models can shift to embrace a more holistic approach that places importance on culture, identity and belonging. Watch this space!  

To view the full research report, click here