Moana Nui: The Establishment of a Research Group for the Psychological Therapies in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

This article reports and reflects on a unique initiative in psychotherapy research: the establishment of a research group that is led by a concern and commitment to respond to an indigenous agenda in health and, more specifically, the psychological therapies. The article discusses the vision of the group, and its initial work, set against the background of the politics of research, doing so firstly by the authors introducing ourselves and our positionality. The group refers to Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, as tangata Whenua (people of the land) and Pasific people (Pasifika) as tangata Moana (people of the sea [the Pacific Ocean]); and, drawing on our commitment to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi) and guided by Te Ara Tika (the right path) with regard to ethics, discuss our focus on research that serves underserved populations.