Press Release – University of Waikato

A strong sense of who one is and that ones life matters is vital to health and wellbeing, says Professor Linda Waimarie Nikora, who will deliver her inaugural professorial lecture this month.Māori flourishing in a fast changing world

“A strong sense of who one is and that one’s life matters is vital to health and wellbeing,” says Professor Linda Waimarie Nikora, who will deliver her inaugural professorial lecture this month.

“Without meaning and belonging, many people, families and communities lie open to the risk of mental illness, addiction, transience, criminality, suicide and so on,” she says.

Surveying almost 30 years of research, Professor Nikora will examine some of these unwellness forces and the responses Māori make within the broader quest to remain indigenous and to flourish in her lecture on November 17.

“In a rapidly changing social and technological environment, where being Māori is enacted in the face of a dominant Pakeha majority, and in an increasingly diverse Māori world, staying well is an important challenge that we cannot underestimate or take for granted,” says Professor Nikora.

“There are many unwellness forces upon Māori in this fast changing world. Some are obvious and readily felt others not so easy to apprehend or explain,” she says.

Of Tuhoe and Te Aitanga a Hauiti descent, Linda Waimarie Nikora is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Waikato. Her training is primarily in social, community, cross-cultural, ethno and indigenous psychology.

In 1996, she established the Māori Psychology Research Unit for research which focuses on the psychological needs, aspirations, and priorities of Māori people. From a research unit supported primarily by student work, the unit has grown to host multidisciplinary and cross-institutional research teams of excellence. Her research interests are in the area of Māori flourishing and how psychology can contribute to Māori survival, Māori uniqueness, and an improved legacy for future generations.

Her recent research includes, Tangi: Māori ways of mourning; Moko: traditional body modification; ethnic status as a stressor; Māori identity development; cultural safety and competence; Māori mental health and recovery; social and economic determinants of health; homelessness; relational health; and social connectedness. She presently co-leads the multidisciplinary and inter-institutional Mauri Ora: Māori Flourishing research stream within Nga Pae o te Maramatanga, a National Centre for Research Excellence.

Professor Nikora’s lecture Māori flourishing in a fast changing world is on Tuesday 17 November at 6pm in the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts. This lecture is free and open to the public.

ENDS

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