Abstract
Being takatāpui comes with a sense of disconnection about our place among whānau, hapū, and iwi. It is envisaged that this research, which is made up of an exegesis and a creative output (documentary) will engender an understanding of what it truly means to be Māori and takatāpui. Methodologically, heuristic enquiry is juxtaposed with a kaupapa Māori approach to explore this kaupapa (issue). Heuristic research relies on the personal; “The power of heuristic inquiry lies in its potential for disclosing truth. Through exhaustive self search, dialogue with others, and creative depictions of experience, a comprehensive knowledge is generated” (Douglass and Moustakas, 1985, p.40). This approach explains the protagonist role I have assumed in the documentary which is artistically set as a dialogue with others. Originally, the research sought to explore historical forces that shape the experiences of takatāpui in contemporary New Zealand Society. However, as the research progressed, the study morphed into an exploration of the way takatāpui experience “being Māori.”
