Te Maringi Mai O HawaiikiMenzies, OliverGarrett, NickDudley, Makarena2024-05-012024-05-012024-01-11Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, ISSN: 0169-3816 (Print); 1573-0719 (Online), Springer, 39(1), 1-16. doi: 10.1007/s10823-023-09492-40169-38161573-0719http://hdl.handle.net/10292/17496Mate wareware (dementia) is a complex disease of the brain that progressively inhibits memory and cognitive ability, affecting many Māori (the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand) kaumātua (elderly persons) in Aotearoa (New Zealand). Mate wareware care aims to protect and sustain wellbeing, yet Māori perspectives of wellbeing that consider wairuatanga (Māori spirituality) are often neglected within current treatment planning. This study investigates the presence of wairuatanga within kaumātua lives, drawing upon 61 interviews with kaumātua to glean a Māori understanding of mate wareware and to develop a diagnostic screening tool for mate wareware. Recorded responses were thematically analysed using reflexive qualitative analysis, informing four key themes that influence wairuatanga: he hononga tangata (social connection), tūrangawaewae (places of connection), tuakiritanga (identity) and mahi mauritau (mindful practices). These themes consider the value of creating rich and gratifying lifestyles for kaumātua that cultivate their spiritual wellbeing. This study validates diverse understandings and experiences of wairuatanga as essential to Māori wellbeing, affirming the relevance of wairuatanga to improve outcomes for Māori living with mate wareware.Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/KaumātuaMāoriMate warewareSpiritualityWairuatangaKaumātuaMate warewareMāoriSpiritualityWairuatanga4203 Health Services and Systems42 Health SciencesBrain DisordersDementiaAcquired Cognitive ImpairmentNeurological3 Good Health and Well Being1103 Clinical SciencesGerontology4206 Public health4401 Anthropology4410 SociologyAgedHumansDementiaIndigenous PeoplesMaori PeopleNew ZealandSpiritualityHumansDementiaSpiritualityAgedNew ZealandIndigenous PeoplesMaori PeopleAgedHumansDementiaIndigenous PeoplesMaori PeopleNew ZealandSpiritualityJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1007/s10823-023-09492-4