A 'te ao Māori' disaster risk reduction framework

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Sociology
• Indigenous Studies

Background:

• Legislative changes in Aotearoa New Zealand mandate the integration of mātauranga (Māori knowledge) into government policy.
• A gap exists between recognizing Indigenous knowledge and its practical application in emergency management.
• Non-Māori officials require guidance to effectively incorporate Māori perspectives into disaster risk reduction (DRR).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a 'te ao Māori' (Māori worldview) disaster risk reduction (DRR) framework for non-Māori decision-makers.
• To serve as an 'interface framework' translating Western DRR concepts into a Māori context.
• To facilitate the practical application of mātauranga Māori in government legislation and strategy.

Main Methods:

• Drawing upon existing research on Māori approaches to DRR.
• Developing a novel framework to bridge Western and te ao Māori perspectives.
• Translating standard DRR concepts into a te ao Māori DRR framework.

Main Results:

• A functional 'interface framework' is proposed, acting as a bridge between Western and Māori knowledge systems.
• The framework aids in converting theoretical insights from mātauranga Māori into practical, on-the-ground applications for DRR.
• Provides a structured approach for integrating Indigenous knowledge into official decision-making processes.

Conclusions:

• The developed framework is essential for bridging the gap between acknowledging Indigenous knowledge and its applied integration.
• Effective integration of mātauranga Māori into DRR requires practical tools and frameworks for non-Māori stakeholders.
• This work supports the practical implementation of Indigenous knowledge in national and local government emergency management strategies.