Land, identity, and wellbeing: A whānau-led Indigenous approach to health promotion
1
School of Health Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
2
Department of Māori Health, Waipuna Taumata Rau: University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
3
Ngā Wai a Te Tūī Māori and Indigenous Research Centre, Unitec, Auckland, New Zealand
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Colonisation and urbanisation have disrupted the connections of many Indigenous communities worldwide, contributing to disconnection from land, ancestry, and collective identity—key determinants of health and wellbeing. For whānau (family) of Ngā Hapū o Te Ahuahu in the Taiāmai region of Aotearoa New Zealand, these processes have fractured relationships with ancestral landscapes and reduced opportunities for intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge, with implications for cultural identity, resilience, and holistic wellbeing.
METHODS:
A series of three whānau-led wānanga were developed as a culturally grounded Indigenous health promotion initiative to support reconnection to whenua (land), whakapapa (genealogy), and collective wellbeing. Endorsed through hapū processes, the first wānanga was held at Parawhenua Marae in summer 2025 (55 participants aged 1–89 years), followed by a Puanga wānanga (June 2025) and a Kai Ora wānanga (January 2026). Across the series, the programme used experiential, place-based learning on maunga (mountain), roto (lake), and marae (meeting place), incorporating hikoi (walking, exploration), kōrero tuku iho (intergenerational knowledge), karakia (incantation, prayer), waiata (song), and collective reflection. Whānau reflections were gathered through researcher notes, mind-mapping, recorded kōrero (with consent), and post-wānanga online evaluation.
RESULTS:
Whānau reported enhanced connections to land and ancestry, renewed confidence in expressing identity, and enhanced emotional, spiritual, and collective wellbeing. Reconnection supported protective factors for health, including whanaungatanga (strengthened relationships), intergenerational learning, and mana motuhake (self-determination). Learning was relational and reciprocal, enabling whānau to reclaim cultural knowledge and leadership in ways that supported wellbeing across generations.
CONCLUSIONS:
This series of whānau-led, land-based wānanga demonstrates how Indigenous health promotion can address upstream determinants of health through reconnection, identity restoration, and community leadership. The kaupapa offers transferable insights for Indigenous and place-based public health internationally, highlighting the value of sustained, culturally grounded, community-led approaches to wellbeing.
Colonisation and urbanisation have disrupted the connections of many Indigenous communities worldwide, contributing to disconnection from land, ancestry, and collective identity—key determinants of health and wellbeing. For whānau (family) of Ngā Hapū o Te Ahuahu in the Taiāmai region of Aotearoa New Zealand, these processes have fractured relationships with ancestral landscapes and reduced opportunities for intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge, with implications for cultural identity, resilience, and holistic wellbeing.
METHODS:
A series of three whānau-led wānanga were developed as a culturally grounded Indigenous health promotion initiative to support reconnection to whenua (land), whakapapa (genealogy), and collective wellbeing. Endorsed through hapū processes, the first wānanga was held at Parawhenua Marae in summer 2025 (55 participants aged 1–89 years), followed by a Puanga wānanga (June 2025) and a Kai Ora wānanga (January 2026). Across the series, the programme used experiential, place-based learning on maunga (mountain), roto (lake), and marae (meeting place), incorporating hikoi (walking, exploration), kōrero tuku iho (intergenerational knowledge), karakia (incantation, prayer), waiata (song), and collective reflection. Whānau reflections were gathered through researcher notes, mind-mapping, recorded kōrero (with consent), and post-wānanga online evaluation.
RESULTS:
Whānau reported enhanced connections to land and ancestry, renewed confidence in expressing identity, and enhanced emotional, spiritual, and collective wellbeing. Reconnection supported protective factors for health, including whanaungatanga (strengthened relationships), intergenerational learning, and mana motuhake (self-determination). Learning was relational and reciprocal, enabling whānau to reclaim cultural knowledge and leadership in ways that supported wellbeing across generations.
CONCLUSIONS:
This series of whānau-led, land-based wānanga demonstrates how Indigenous health promotion can address upstream determinants of health through reconnection, identity restoration, and community leadership. The kaupapa offers transferable insights for Indigenous and place-based public health internationally, highlighting the value of sustained, culturally grounded, community-led approaches to wellbeing.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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