Tapu i te wa hapū: Exploring the Wairuatanga of Te Whare Tangata.

Abstract

Background: In Aotearoa, maternity care for wāhine Māori remains shaped by colonial legacies that separate the spiritual, cultural, and relational dimensions of birth from biomedical systems of care. This disconnection is traced and illustrates how it contributes to inequities in Māori maternal and infant outcomes, as well as intergenerational trauma that disrupts wairua and whakapapa. In contrast, empowering indigenous reproductive justice, Māori birthing and parenting traditions, alongside culturally grounded education, recognise Te Whare Tangata—the womb—as a sacred site of creation and sovereignty, where spiritual balance safeguards the wellbeing of māmā, tamaiti, and whānau.

Aim: This study explores the wairuatanga of Te Whare Tangata—the sacred house of humanity—as experienced by wāhine Māori and whānau throughout conception, birth, and the early postnatal period. It positions wairua not as abstraction but as the living force connecting whakapapa, atua, whenua, and generations. This research aims to restore visibility to these spiritual dimensions and consider how they might reshape maternity care toward balance, integrity, and mauri ora. Building on the mahi of Māori midwives and scholars before me, this thesis continues the collective effort to reclaim wairua-centred maternity care grounded in Kaupapa Māori, Mana Wāhine, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles.

Methodology: Seven participants took part in wānanga held on a marae, drawing on maramataka, rongoā, whakawhanaungatanga, and taonga-ā-waha— including karakia, mōteatea, waiata, and pūrakau- as both method and analysis. Findings reveal that when wairua is absent, wāhine experience isolation, fear, and spiritual disconnection; when present, karakia, ūkaipōtanga, whanaungatanga, and tikanga restore tapu, mauri, and confidence in birth. Five interconnected themes emerged, positioning wairuatanga as both epistemology and praxis—a living force linking atua, whenua, and whakapapa.

Findings: This research was conducted during major structural reform, including the disestablishment of Te Aka Whai Ora, downsizing of Kahu Taurima and a growing disconnection from the founding bicultural Treaty of Aotearoa. The reforms expose the fragility of Māori-led infrastructures and the urgent need for wairua-led reform to resist further assimilation perpetuated by colonial institutions.

This thesis concludes that restoring wairua to maternity care is essential for equity, safety, and sovereignty for wāhine Māori, their whānau and the protection of the workforce. Te Whāriki o Hine-te-Iwaiwa is presented as a sacred patterned map and practical framework for whānau, midwives, and health professionals to enrich maternity and early-years care through cultural, personal, and professional development—a pathway toward an Indigenous gold standard of care defined by whānau.