Tūhono Māori: Promoting Secure Attachments for Indigenous Māori Children. A Conceptual Paper

Abstract

Tūhono Māori is a Kaupapa Māori research project that seeks to contribute to the healing and success of vulnerable Māori children and their families. This paper is the first of two papers presented in this issue related to the Tūhono Māori research project. The Tūhono Māori study investigates traditional and contemporary notions of secure whānau attachment that promote tamariki security and wellbeing. Tūhono Māori has a broad aim to enable improved child welfare, practitioner, agency, and whānau (family), hapū (extended family), and iwi (collective kin group) responses to the needs of indigenous Māori children and their whānau. This paper presents an overview of the prevailing context, intersecting spaces and conceptual ideas inherent within systems in New Zealand, and the impact these have had on Māori security. The paper argues for alternative systems within the New Zealandcontext to enable conditions which facilitate emotional security for Māori children and
their whanau.