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Human-induced climate change is threatening the ocean, natural ecosystems, and the global human population. Some groups, including Māori in Aotearoa, and Indigenous communities globally, will be disproportionately affected by the negative consequences of climate change. The current national and international governmental climate change responses underrepresent Indigenous peoples, issues, and knowledge. This thesis aims to contribute to the body of literature that documents Māori understandings, perspectives, and worldviews in relation to climate change. This work was guided by two inter-related questions. Firstly, what are the impacts of climate change on waka voyaging? Secondly, how can we draw on mātauranga (Māori knowledge) to respond to human-induced climate change? Specifically, the research addresses gaps in the scholarly literature that has yet to consider the unique contributions of waka voyaging practitioners to the climate change conversation. This work seeks to better understand the wide-ranging effects of human-induced climate change on Māori communities, knowledge, and culture, through an investigation of the impacts on waka voyaging. Furthermore, it considers how mātauranga whakatere waka (Māori understandings of Pacific voyaging knowledge) can contribute to climate change responses today and into the future. Guided by a Pūrākau and Kaupapa Māori research approach, I undertook a large-scale literature review and conducted seven in-depth semi-structured one-to-one interviews with Māori voyagers trained in traditional Pacific non-instrument ocean navigation. I analysed the data using a theoretical thematic analysis. Key findings suggest that waka voyaging is highly sensitive to changes in weather and climate. Historical climatic and environmental change, as well as human-induced ecological change, have both promoted and discouraged Pacific voyaging in the past. In Aotearoa, the decline of voyaging after Polynesian settlement led to the dormancy of a sign

Studies by government agencies and advocacy groups report that Māori women and children are more vulnerable to experiencing family violence, sexual abuse, and incest than Pākehā. They acknowledge colonisation and historical trauma as contributing factors, and call for a systems-focused response to tackling sexual violence. This includes providing access to contextually responsive and culturally appropriate interventions. This study initially aimed to explore traditional Māori understandings of incest and healing from sexual trauma that are embedded in the pūrākau (ancestral story) of Hinetītama/Hinenui Te Pō, and her parents, Hineahuone and Tānemahuta. As it would apply a unique Māori theatre pedagogy called Theatre Marae, the project was then expanded to investigate the utility and potential of this innovative approach, which draws together Māori and non-Māori performance traditions, therapeutic models, Māori language, and customs in a process for creative inquiry. In pursuing these two activities, the resulting thesis comprises three publications. In the first article (chapter 2), I unpack the conceptual framework of Theatre Marae pedagogy as a suitable approach for kaupapa Māori (by Māori, for Māori) arts-based research against the backdrop of growing scholarship in Indigenous research and psychologies. In the second article (chapter 3), I deepen this exploration into Theatre Marae and its core methods within an historical account of the theatre company most associated with the practice, Te Rākau. The third article (chapter 4) builds on the preceding chapters by returning to the initial focus of this study and describing how Theatre Marae was applied in a performance-based analysis of this ancient pūrākau as a narrative of survival and healing. The analysis revealed new themes that highlight the collectivist customs of traditional Māori society as protective factors against the proliferation of sexual violence and incest. When drawn together in this thesis, these

“The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house” (Lorde, 1984, p.94) This thesis begins and ends with being Ngāi Tahu, the two fundamental questions that generated this topic are: Who determines Indigenous legal identity? Who defines tribal membership and affiliation? Although the idea of defining Indigenous Peoples, for political purposes originated in colonial times, the complications, and complexities of defining who an Indigenous individual remains a truly contentious issue. This thesis will draw on the Indigenous Māori methodology of pūrākau, or story work for its structure and method to explore the above questions relating to Indigenous identity. The pūrākau approach enables the research to harness mātauranga Māori knowledge such as whakapapa and korero tuku iho alongside western thought, which is now inked in academic disciplines such as in the study of law. This thesis explores notions such as Indigenous ‘blood’ and our Indigenous ‘DNA.’ It is argued that to understand the history, the politics, the laws of blood quantum and DNA, it is important to understand the mind of the coloniser and the tools they continue to use. The study of blood quantum has become an important aspect of the tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) of many Indigenous peoples. From a historical and cultural perspective, blood quantum standards divide and alienate communities, and perpetuate a discourse that promotes internalised self-hatred, alienation, and fractionation. This research will develop pūrākau as a pedagogy through creating learning tools. These new learning tools will counteract the possibility of our Indigenous Peoples from being trapped within these social constructions. The thesis will explore possible self-determination techniques which emphasize pūrākau in establishing identity through creating a journey of recovery through the application of pūrākau in decolonising blood quantum ideology. Ultimately, Indigenous Peoples of Canada, New Zealand and the Un

The purpose of this research is to offer parents and whānau (extended family groups) insight about the kinds of leisure activities that might make a positive contribution to their boys’ development. Focused on the positive developmental benefits of leisure participation in relation to Māori boys, and employing a kaupapa Māori framework and qualitative methods, this study represents a foray into new territory. Conducted ‘by, with, and for’ Māori (the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand), and guided by the question ‘How might the leisure activity patterns and narratives of successful young Māori men inform urban whānau raising tamatāne (Māori boys/sons)?’ the three-phase research design was strengths-based, collaborative, and both retrospective and prospective. In phase one, a group of 11 parents participated in focus group hui (gatherings) in which they established the criteria for ‘successful young Māori men’ (SYMM) based on their aspirations for their primary-school aged boys. In phase two, this whānau of interest then selected six SYMM from a pool of eight volunteers, who, along with one or both of their parents participated in one-off semi-structured interviews. In these interviews, we co-constructed life and leisure maps, and discussed how their childhood leisure activities and experiences contributed to their development and who they are today. In phase three, a selection of raw data from these interviews was prepared for a group analysis, during which the whānau of interest made three key observations: (1) As children and youth, these SYMM had participated in a number and range of organised and informal leisure activities including sport, kapa haka (Māori cultural performance), music, art, and for three of them, faith-based activities; (2) they were “connected” to their parent(s) and whānau; and (3) their leisure activities had brought them into contact with positive male role models. Consequently, the whānau of interest talked about increasing the numbe

The purpose of this research is to offer parents and whānau (extended family groups) insight about the kinds of leisure activities that might make a positive contribution to their boys’ development. Focused on the positive developmental benefits of leisure participation in relation to Māori boys, and employing a kaupapa Māori framework and qualitative methods, this study represents a foray into new territory. Conducted ‘by, with, and for’ Māori (the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand), and guided by the question ‘How might the leisure activity patterns and narratives of successful young Māori men inform urban whānau raising tamatāne (Māori boys/sons)?’ the three-phase research design was strengths-based, collaborative, and both retrospective and prospective. In phase one, a group of 11 parents participated in focus group hui (gatherings) in which they established the criteria for ‘successful young Māori men’ (SYMM) based on their aspirations for their primary-school aged boys. In phase two, this whānau of interest then selected six SYMM from a pool of eight volunteers, who, along with one or both of their parents participated in one-off semi-structured interviews. In these interviews, we co-constructed life and leisure maps, and discussed how their childhood leisure activities and experiences contributed to their development and who they are today. In phase three, a selection of raw data from these interviews was prepared for a group analysis, during which the whānau of interest made three key observations: (1) As children and youth, these SYMM had participated in a number and range of organised and informal leisure activities including sport, kapa haka (Māori cultural performance), music, art, and for three of them, faith-based activities; (2) they were “connected” to their parent(s) and whānau; and (3) their leisure activities had brought them into contact with positive male role models. Consequently, the whānau of interest talked about increasing the numbe

“The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house” (Lorde, 1984, p.94) This thesis begins and ends with being Ngāi Tahu, the two fundamental questions that generated this topic are: Who determines Indigenous legal identity? Who defines tribal membership and affiliation? Although the idea of defining Indigenous Peoples, for political purposes originated in colonial times, the complications, and complexities of defining who an Indigenous individual remains a truly contentious issue. This thesis will draw on the Indigenous Māori methodology of pūrākau, or story work for its structure and method to explore the above questions relating to Indigenous identity. The pūrākau approach enables the research to harness mātauranga Māori knowledge such as whakapapa and korero tuku iho alongside western thought, which is now inked in academic disciplines such as in the study of law. This thesis explores notions such as Indigenous ‘blood’ and our Indigenous ‘DNA.’ It is argued that to understand the history, the politics, the laws of blood quantum and DNA, it is important to understand the mind of the coloniser and the tools they continue to use. The study of blood quantum has become an important aspect of the tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) of many Indigenous peoples. From a historical and cultural perspective, blood quantum standards divide and alienate communities, and perpetuate a discourse that promotes internalised self-hatred, alienation, and fractionation. This research will develop pūrākau as a pedagogy through creating learning tools. These new learning tools will counteract the possibility of our Indigenous Peoples from being trapped within these social constructions. The thesis will explore possible self-determination techniques which emphasize pūrākau in establishing identity through creating a journey of recovery through the application of pūrākau in decolonising blood quantum ideology. Ultimately, Indigenous Peoples of Canada, New Zealand and the Un

The characteristics of atua wāhine provide the female elements of mana wahine for Māori women. In expressing mana wahine, Māori women draw on the attributes and narratives of the atua wāhine. The atua wāhine narratives went through a period of marginalisation after the arrival of the early settlers. During this time their stories and characteristics were omitted from written literature, and where literature did exist, new meanings were impressed upon them. In their expression of mana wahine today, Māori women are limited to the narratives of the atua wāhine that have been made available to them and the characteristics described in those accounts. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of the atua wāhine. A modern-day deconstruction and reconstruction of their stories has taken place, particularly amongst Māori women. From this an opportunity has arisen to re-present the narratives of the atua wāhine and reveal the full depths of their attributes and characteristics, an extension to uncover a deeper range of the female elements of mana wahine and their expression through Māori women. The methodologies drawn upon for this research are Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine. A review of contemporary literature explores the atua wāhine and then examines mana wahine as a framework for Māori female expression. Following the literature review, a series of interviews with Māori women are analysed to contextualise the wāhine. Then the Mana Wahine: Characteristics of Atua Wāhine framework is unveiled. It is a framework for the conscientisation of Māori women and Māori men to the full range of female elements as are illustrated in the atua wāhine narratives.

The characteristics of atua wāhine provide the female elements of mana wahine for Māori women. In expressing mana wahine, Māori women draw on the attributes and narratives of the atua wāhine. The atua wāhine narratives went through a period of marginalisation after the arrival of the early settlers. During this time their stories and characteristics were omitted from written literature, and where literature did exist, new meanings were impressed upon them. In their expression of mana wahine today, Māori women are limited to the narratives of the atua wāhine that have been made available to them and the characteristics described in those accounts. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of the atua wāhine. A modern-day deconstruction and reconstruction of their stories has taken place, particularly amongst Māori women. From this an opportunity has arisen to re-present the narratives of the atua wāhine and reveal the full depths of their attributes and characteristics, an extension to uncover a deeper range of the female elements of mana wahine and their expression through Māori women. The methodologies drawn upon for this research are Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine. A review of contemporary literature explores the atua wāhine and then examines mana wahine as a framework for Māori female expression. Following the literature review, a series of interviews with Māori women are analysed to contextualise the wāhine. Then the Mana Wahine: Characteristics of Atua Wāhine framework is unveiled. It is a framework for the conscientisation of Māori women and Māori men to the full range of female elements as are illustrated in the atua wāhine narratives.

The characteristics of atua wāhine provide the female elements of mana wahine for Māori women. In expressing mana wahine, Māori women draw on the attributes and narratives of the atua wāhine. The atua wāhine narratives went through a period of marginalisation after the arrival of the early settlers. During this time their stories and characteristics were omitted from written literature, and where literature did exist, new meanings were impressed upon them. In their expression of mana wahine today, Māori women are limited to the narratives of the atua wāhine that have been made available to them and the characteristics described in those accounts. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of the atua wāhine. A modern-day deconstruction and reconstruction of their stories has taken place, particularly amongst Māori women. From this an opportunity has arisen to re-present the narratives of the atua wāhine and reveal the full depths of their attributes and characteristics, an extension to uncover a deeper range of the female elements of mana wahine and their expression through Māori women. The methodologies drawn upon for this research are Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine. A review of contemporary literature explores the atua wāhine and then examines mana wahine as a framework for Māori female expression. Following the literature review, a series of interviews with Māori women are analysed to contextualise the wāhine. Then the Mana Wahine: Characteristics of Atua Wāhine framework is unveiled. It is a framework for the conscientisation of Māori women and Māori men to the full range of female elements as are illustrated in the atua wāhine narratives.

The characteristics of atua wāhine provide the female elements of mana wahine for Māori women. In expressing mana wahine, Māori women draw on the attributes and narratives of the atua wāhine. The atua wāhine narratives went through a period of marginalisation after the arrival of the early settlers. During this time their stories and characteristics were omitted from written literature, and where literature did exist, new meanings were impressed upon them. In their expression of mana wahine today, Māori women are limited to the narratives of the atua wāhine that have been made available to them and the characteristics described in those accounts. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of the atua wāhine. A modern-day deconstruction and reconstruction of their stories has taken place, particularly amongst Māori women. From this an opportunity has arisen to re-present the narratives of the atua wāhine and reveal the full depths of their attributes and characteristics, an extension to uncover a deeper range of the female elements of mana wahine and their expression through Māori women. The methodologies drawn upon for this research are Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine. A review of contemporary literature explores the atua wāhine and then examines mana wahine as a framework for Māori female expression. Following the literature review, a series of interviews with Māori women are analysed to contextualise the wāhine. Then the Mana Wahine: Characteristics of Atua Wāhine framework is unveiled. It is a framework for the conscientisation of Māori women and Māori men to the full range of female elements as are illustrated in the atua wāhine narratives.

The characteristics of atua wāhine provide the female elements of mana wahine for Māori women. In expressing mana wahine, Māori women draw on the attributes and narratives of the atua wāhine. The atua wāhine narratives went through a period of marginalisation after the arrival of the early settlers. During this time their stories and characteristics were omitted from written literature, and where literature did exist, new meanings were impressed upon them. In their expression of mana wahine today, Māori women are limited to the narratives of the atua wāhine that have been made available to them and the characteristics described in those accounts. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of the atua wāhine. A modern-day deconstruction and reconstruction of their stories has taken place, particularly amongst Māori women. From this an opportunity has arisen to re-present the narratives of the atua wāhine and reveal the full depths of their attributes and characteristics, an extension to uncover a deeper range of the female elements of mana wahine and their expression through Māori women. The methodologies drawn upon for this research are Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine. A review of contemporary literature explores the atua wāhine and then examines mana wahine as a framework for Māori female expression. Following the literature review, a series of interviews with Māori women are analysed to contextualise the wāhine. Then the Mana Wahine: Characteristics of Atua Wāhine framework is unveiled. It is a framework for the conscientisation of Māori women and Māori men to the full range of female elements as are illustrated in the atua wāhine narratives.

For some people living in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, tsunami are recognised as a natural hazard that could threaten the entire East Cape region at any time. However for most, an ethnographic study of local residents reveals high levels of complacency within the Gisborne urban community when it comes to being aware and prepared for tsunami risk. A recent study by Dhellemmes, Leonard & Johnston (2016) was conducted along the East Coast of the North Island of Aotearoa to explore the changes of tsunami awareness and preparedness between 2003–2015. Results from this study revealed coastal communities including Tūranga had low levels of tsunami awareness and high expectations of receiving a formal warning before evacuation (Dhellemmes, et al. 2016). As a result Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) with the Joint Centre for Disaster Research (JCDR) have identified that the population needs to respond with urgency to natural warning signs (one being an earthquake) rather than assuming an official warning will come through formal Civil Defence channels. There is also a need to raise tsunami awareness by understanding what influences tsunami preparedness in communities. The tangata whenua of Tūranganui-a-Kiwa hold various bodies of knowledge that can contribute to our society and future risk management. Māori oral traditions are often mapped to the whenua and anchored in our genealogies, which King, Goff & Skipper (2007) explains enables the transfer of knowledge down through the generations. The method of acknowledging the contextual location of Tūranga is crucial in understanding the community’s need to raise tsunami awareness for their own iwi, hapū and whanau. This process proposes that by allowing the community to share responsibility for their response to an unfolding crisis, it opens up new opportunities to raise awareness. This design-led research explores how Human-Centred-Design (HCD) methodology underpinned by Mātauranga Māori principles can contribute new ways of designi

For some people living in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa, tsunami are recognised as a natural hazard that could threaten the entire East Cape region at any time. However for most, an ethnographic study of local residents reveals high levels of complacency within the Gisborne urban community when it comes to being aware and prepared for tsunami risk. A recent study by Dhellemmes, Leonard & Johnston (2016) was conducted along the East Coast of the North Island of Aotearoa to explore the changes of tsunami awareness and preparedness between 2003–2015. Results from this study revealed coastal communities including Tūranga had low levels of tsunami awareness and high expectations of receiving a formal warning before evacuation (Dhellemmes, et al. 2016). As a result Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) with the Joint Centre for Disaster Research (JCDR) have identified that the population needs to respond with urgency to natural warning signs (one being an earthquake) rather than assuming an official warning will come through formal Civil Defence channels. There is also a need to raise tsunami awareness by understanding what influences tsunami preparedness in communities. The tangata whenua of Tūranganui-a-Kiwa hold various bodies of knowledge that can contribute to our society and future risk management. Māori oral traditions are often mapped to the whenua and anchored in our genealogies, which King, Goff & Skipper (2007) explains enables the transfer of knowledge down through the generations. The method of acknowledging the contextual location of Tūranga is crucial in understanding the community’s need to raise tsunami awareness for their own iwi, hapū and whanau. This process proposes that by allowing the community to share responsibility for their response to an unfolding crisis, it opens up new opportunities to raise awareness. This design-led research explores how Human-Centred-Design (HCD) methodology underpinned by Mātauranga Māori principles can contribute new ways of designi

huka can haka is an ongoing body of creative works used to frame the ideas expressed in this thesis. Spoken, ‘huka’ sounds like ‘hooker’, he is a performance persona developed to help heal from the bitter-sweet reality of being Māori, genderfluid, same-sex attracted and HIV positive in Aotearoa New Zealand. huka can haka refers to an inbetween gendered space of performance where ‘huka’ translates from Māori to English as the sea-foam that gathers between land and sea, white rain such as snow or hail, the dancing tags that are woven into cloaks, or as the transliteration of sugar. ‘Haka’ is predominantly perceived as a masculine form of traditional Māori dance and is akin to weaving with the entire body. Haka is highly sexualised and invigorates a sense of connection to Māori genealogies, family, community, language, land and cultural practices. huka can haka infers the agency enacted through the intentional performance of an identity between cultures and gender in Aotearoa New Zealand. ‘Taonga’ translates from Māori to English to represent things people value and treasure – they can be tangible or ephemeral and include shared and individual memories, people, words, actions, the things we make and beautify, as well as the natural environment that sustains us. ‘Tino rangatiratanga’ is a Māori assertion of the right to determine our lives without the disruptive controls enacted through the New Zealand government by the British Crown. Taonga performing tino rangatiratanga, infers the agency present in valuable things – because taonga exist we become aware of reasons to protect them, we create protective processes and we appreciate the value of ourselves as protectors. huka can haka: Taonga performing tino rangatiratanga explores how making art heals – it describes the transformations that manifest when creating through Māori knowledge. Raranga is the framework used to organise and explain my research. Raranga is a traditional process of Māori weaving and through its use

Ingoa tangata (personal names) are an expression of te reo Māori, Māori identity, and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination). Nevertheless, our names are still mispronounced, marginalised and demeaned by individuals and institutions, such as schools, the health system, politics and media. This thesis argues that the gift of a Māori name and the assertion of that name over one’s lifetime is simultaneously a political act of resistance and an act of normalisation – an act of just being Māori. In particular, the thesis reveals how whānau naming practices endure and are important for whānau identity and belonging. A Kaupapa Māori theoretical approach is used to highlight the mana of our ingoa tangata within te ao Māori (the Māori world). I analyse the experiences of six generations of one whānau and the ways in which they have resisted, reclaimed and regenerated our ingoa tangata and associated practices. Kaupapa Māori theory provides a much-needed theoretical framework that privileges te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori throughout this research. This theory also supports Māori researchers to critique and disrupt Western power dynamics within research as well as maintaining the political imperative of decolonisation and resurgence agendas within the research of Indigenous communities. This thesis foregrounds Pūrākau as a research method to tell the kōrero ingoa (naming stories) of six generations of one whānau, totalling twenty-six different stories. I explore the possibilities of pūrākau as a method and ako (to teach/ learn) as a powerful component in the building and sharing of stories, as writing tools for the (re)presentation of that material and in expressing the researcher’s positionality. Pūrākau as method also enables the utilisation of our cosmogonies as important sources of mātauranga Māori and therefore as crucial to an analysis of our naming motivations and notions of belonging. Furthermore, I critically analyse the disruptions and interruptions to ingoa tan

huka can haka is an ongoing body of creative works used to frame the ideas expressed in this thesis. Spoken, ‘huka’ sounds like ‘hooker’, he is a performance persona developed to help heal from the bitter-sweet reality of being Māori, genderfluid, same-sex attracted and HIV positive in Aotearoa New Zealand. huka can haka refers to an inbetween gendered space of performance where ‘huka’ translates from Māori to English as the sea-foam that gathers between land and sea, white rain such as snow or hail, the dancing tags that are woven into cloaks, or as the transliteration of sugar. ‘Haka’ is predominantly perceived as a masculine form of traditional Māori dance and is akin to weaving with the entire body. Haka is highly sexualised and invigorates a sense of connection to Māori genealogies, family, community, language, land and cultural practices. huka can haka infers the agency enacted through the intentional performance of an identity between cultures and gender in Aotearoa New Zealand. ‘Taonga’ translates from Māori to English to represent things people value and treasure – they can be tangible or ephemeral and include shared and individual memories, people, words, actions, the things we make and beautify, as well as the natural environment that sustains us. ‘Tino rangatiratanga’ is a Māori assertion of the right to determine our lives without the disruptive controls enacted through the New Zealand government by the British Crown. Taonga performing tino rangatiratanga, infers the agency present in valuable things – because taonga exist we become aware of reasons to protect them, we create protective processes and we appreciate the value of ourselves as protectors. huka can haka: Taonga performing tino rangatiratanga explores how making art heals – it describes the transformations that manifest when creating through Māori knowledge. Raranga is the framework used to organise and explain my research. Raranga is a traditional process of Māori weaving and through its use

Ingoa tangata (personal names) are an expression of te reo Māori, Māori identity, and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination). Nevertheless, our names are still mispronounced, marginalised and demeaned by individuals and institutions, such as schools, the health system, politics and media. This thesis argues that the gift of a Māori name and the assertion of that name over one’s lifetime is simultaneously a political act of resistance and an act of normalisation – an act of just being Māori. In particular, the thesis reveals how whānau naming practices endure and are important for whānau identity and belonging. A Kaupapa Māori theoretical approach is used to highlight the mana of our ingoa tangata within te ao Māori (the Māori world). I analyse the experiences of six generations of one whānau and the ways in which they have resisted, reclaimed and regenerated our ingoa tangata and associated practices. Kaupapa Māori theory provides a much-needed theoretical framework that privileges te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori throughout this research. This theory also supports Māori researchers to critique and disrupt Western power dynamics within research as well as maintaining the political imperative of decolonisation and resurgence agendas within the research of Indigenous communities. This thesis foregrounds Pūrākau as a research method to tell the kōrero ingoa (naming stories) of six generations of one whānau, totalling twenty-six different stories. I explore the possibilities of pūrākau as a method and ako (to teach/ learn) as a powerful component in the building and sharing of stories, as writing tools for the (re)presentation of that material and in expressing the researcher’s positionality. Pūrākau as method also enables the utilisation of our cosmogonies as important sources of mātauranga Māori and therefore as crucial to an analysis of our naming motivations and notions of belonging. Furthermore, I critically analyse the disruptions and interruptions to ingoa tan

The Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa has been seen as an innovative approach to youth development. The E tipu e rea – Rangatahi Development Package was particularly useful for organisations implementing the strategy with Maori youth. There have been successful Maori youth development initiatives, though these have been ad hoc. Nonetheless, the realities and experiences of Maori youth are still not being fully addressed in national policy. This has implications for the support and resourcing of Maori youth development initiatives. Maori youth are members of a range of groups including whanau, hapu, iwi and Maori communities in te ao Maori as well as the wider youth population and New Zealand society. The histories, experiences and viewpoints of each distinct group contribute to diversity in the Maori youth population which presents challenges for Maori youth development. Maori development goals do not adequately focus on Maori youth and youth development theory does not fully consider culture. The challenge is to successfully integrate Maori culture and youth culture in a relevant and meaningful manner so that Maori youth can positively contribute to Maori development and wider New Zealand society. This study examines purakau (narratives) about Maui (Polynesian ancestor) as a template for the analysis of Maori youth development. Interviews were undertaken with a group of Maori youth from the Manawatu region. The research showed tikanga and ahuatanga were relevant to the contemporary daily lives of the participants. The study found that positive development and the realisation of potential for Maori youth was affected by individual and environmental influences. This thesis concludes by making recommendations for policy, practice and further research. Finally, it offers a culturally appropriate theoretical approach for positive Maori youth development.