Method

Methods are the tools or processes that we use within the research process that enable us to engage with people, gather and analyse data. The methods used in this research project, for the gathering of information, were interviews, both individual and focus groups, and literature review. The interview process was undertaken by a group of 20 Māori researchers who worked within their own areas of expertise and in their own whānau, hapū and iwi regions, and who were therefore knowledgeable of the various groupings of peoples within their own areas. The interviews varied from individual to focus groups depending on the numbers and the needs of those people participating and included specific groupings, for example focus groups of kuia –koroua, of young mothers, of people with disabilities, of takatapui were held that enabled people to share their experiences from a particular viewpoint. The literature review was also defined by a Kaupapa Māori methodology, which meant having to source Māori material and also that much of the early ethnographic literature drawn upon required deconstruction. The video clips here highlight the need to ensure that methods used are grounded within the wider methodological approach to ensure that the Kaupapa Māori Research approach is clearly integrated throughout the research process.