Hetaraka, MaiaMeiklejohn-Whiu, SelenaWebber, MelindaJesson, Rebecca2026-03-102026-03-102026-03-10International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, ISSN: 0951-8398 (Print); 1366-5898 (Online), Taylor and Francis Group. doi: 10.1080/09518398.2026.26408430951-83981366-5898http://hdl.handle.net/10292/20741This article calls to attention the possibilities and problematics of upholding Indigenous ethics and approaches in cross-cultural international research collaborations. We describe the opportunities and challenges that present themselves and elaborate on four lessons learned during a recent education project, including (1) how the authority and mana of Indigenous stakeholders can be maintained, (2) how to ensure Indigenous concepts and worldviews are honoured, (3) how to decolonize western academic expectations about open data-sharing, and (4) how and why Indigenous rituals of encounter must be established to ensure cultural safety. Using Moana Jackson’s (2016) ten Māori research ethics, this paper identifies and examines what needs to be upheld, interrogated and refused when working in cross-cultural international research collaborations. We conclude with recommendations for collaborators, including the importance of embedding regular opportunities for collective reflexivity, as a means of rebalancing or refusing the uneven power relations that affect genuine partnership.© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.1303 Specialist Studies in Education1608 SociologyEducation3902 Education policy, sociology and philosophy3903 Education systems3904 Specialist studies in educationIndigenous ethicscross-cultural research collaborationworldviewsdecolonizationMāoriJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1080/09518398.2026.2640843