Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Māori and

Positive AgeingWill Edwards

Te Mata o te Tau

Academy of Māori Research and Scholarship

Weekly Seminar Series

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

What?

Why?

How?

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

WhyResearch Māori and

Positive Ageing?

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Global Ageing

The World's population of older people has increased significantly and is projected to continue increasing

Table 1. Number of older people (over 60 years): World

Year Population (millions)

1950 200

2000 600

2050 2 000Source: United Nations, 2001

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Global Ageing

Why is the global population ageing?

•Better infant survival•Improved nutrition•Changes in occupation•Advances in medicine and care

The ‘baby boomers’ ( born 1945-64)

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

New Zealand’s Ageing Population

The number and proportion of people aged 65+ is increasing

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

2004

2010

2020

2030

2040

2050

Year

Number

0

10

15

20

25

30

Percent of total population

Number aged 65+

Percent of total population

5

0

Source: Statistics New Zealand 2004

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

New Zealand’s approach to Positive Ageing

The New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy (2001) limits cultural diversity to the provision of services for older people….

‘Goal 6.. a range of culturally appropriate services allows choices for older people’

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Māori experiences and perspectives on ageing are

different

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Differentiating older Māori

Life expectancy at birth 2000-02, years of life

Male Female

Māori 69.0 73.2

Non-Māori 76.3 81.1

Source: Statistics New Zealand, 2004

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Differentiating older Māori

Age Profile of Māori Population 2006-2021

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2006 2011 2016 2021

Year

Per

cen

tag

e

65+15-640-14

Source: Statistics New Zealand 2005

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Differentiating older Māori

Financial difficulties

Financial difficulty (%)

Severe financial

difficulty (%)

Māori 15 20

Non-Māori 10 6

Source: Cunningham et al, 2002

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Differentiating older Māori

• Carriers of culture

“Mahi atu e te iwi e, ngā rawe a tauiwi, otirā me wehi kei ngaro ngā tikanga a ngā taueke e” Broughton, c1983

Expectations of Māori (and wider) community in the context of cultural recovery and renaissance

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Differentiating older Māori

•Māori development leaders

“Ka haere te mātātahi, ka noho te mātāputu” Mead and Grove, 2001

Expectations of Māori (and wider) community in the context of social, political and economic recovery and renaissance

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Differentiating older Māori

• Urbanised leaders

- Born and spent childhood ‘at home’ moved with parents to urban centres

- Ahi kā – ahi mātao (Home)

Expectations of Māori (and wider) community in the context of social, political and economic recovery and renaissance

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Differentiating older Māori

•very limited leisure time in ‘retirement’

…Lifelong interests and pursuits…may be sacrificed as other demands take precedence. Less orientated to personal comfort and endeavours, the life of a kaumātua becomes progressively more determined by the priorities of the marae, whānau or hapu… Durie, 1999

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Differentiating older Māori

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

WhatAm I Researching about

Māori and Positive Ageing?

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Health Research & Older Māori

Research Centre for Māori Health and Development - Te Pūmanawa Hauora

1997 Oranga Kaumātua2002 Living Standards of Older

Māori 2004-06 Oranga Kaumātua II

2004-10 PhD Programmes

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Health Research & Older MāoriOranga Kaumātua- 397 Māori over 60 years of age- Recruitment through Māori community networks (10

regions)- ‘Culturally conservative’ sample- QQ available in Māori and English

Oranga Kaumātua II- 400 Māori over 55 years of age- Recruitment through Māori community networks (5

regions) & electoral roll- ‘Culturally conservative’ and ‘culturally integrated’ sample

PhD Programme

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

PhD Programme

Research Question

‘What are the characteristics of Positive ageing for Māori?’

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

PhD Programme

Objectives1) To illuminate the current socio-economic and

cultural circumstances of older Maori;

2) To identify the characteristics of positive ageing for Maori;

3) To compare a Māori centred view of positive ageing with other perspectives;

4) To explore the interface between Indigenous knowledge and science.

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

HowAm I Researching Māori

and Positive Ageing?

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Health Research & Older MāoriPhD Programme

- Review of literature

-Quantitative data from OK II

-Qualitative data from 10 in-depth interviews

-Supervision and ethics

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Review of literature

Ageing (individual, population)

Gerontology (Social, Cross-cultural)

Te Ao Māori (social structures views on ageing)

Indigenous perspectives on ageing

Māori oral literature

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Quantitative data from OKII

- N=400, non random sample

- 5 regions (Waikato, Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatū, Christchurch)

- Questionnaire covers wide range of issues and utilises various instruments used in other research, e.g. ELSI, SF12, THNR

- Quantitative data analysis (aggregated frequency tables)

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Qualitative data from in-depth interviews-N=10, purposeful selection

-Based in Taranaki

- In-depth interviews open ended questions

-Focus on their views on positive ageing

-Thematic data analysis

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

Supervision and Ethics

-Multi-layered supervision- PhD 2 supervisors- Oranga Kaumātua Advisory

Committee- Koroua and Kuia from Taranaki

-Ethics- MU Human Ethics Committee- Māori community

- Kaumātua organisations and whānau

Te Pūmanawa Hauora

Massey University

What

Why

How