POUHINE

Pū-Rā-Ka-Ū: Indigenous Ecologies of Research, Care and Practice

I have developed and refined the Pū-Rā-Ka-Ū framework (Wirihana, 2012) across multiple research projects and ecological settings. As the framework has been applied, tested, and adapted in practice, the way it presents has also evolved.

The images present Pū-Rā-Ka-Ū as a living diagnostic ecology. They show how movement from Mauri Mate to Mauri Ora is understood through relational windows of listening, dialogue, action, and sustained safety, rather than through linear stages or externally imposed measures. Research, care, and practice are held together as part of the same living system, grounded in whakapapa, whenua, and whānau realities over time.

Author: Paora Moyle KSO, Director of Research at Te Whāriki Manawāhine O Hauraki, leads the application and development of this framework in our research and practice.

References

Moyle, P. (2023). As a kid, I always knew who I was – Voices of Takatāpui, Rainbow, and MVPFAFF+ survivors: An independent research report provided to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission. Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry. https://hauraki.refuge.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FINAL-Rainbow-Report.pdf

Moyle, P., Kelly, L., & Messiter, D. (2025). Hauraki Māori weathering Cyclone Gabrielle. Te Whāriki Manawāhine O Hauraki. https://hauraki.refuge.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Hauraki-Maori-weathering-Cyclone-Gabrielle-Research-Final.pdf

Te Whāriki Manawāhine O Hauraki. (2024). He Whare, He Taonga Report. Te Whāriki Mana Wāhine o Hauraki. https://www.buildingbetter.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/He-Whare-He-Taonga-FINAL.pdf

Wirihana, R. (2012). Ngā pūrākau o ngā wāhine rangatira Māori o Aotearoa: The stories of Māori women leaders in New Zealand [Master’s thesis, Massey University]. Massey Research Online. https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/4672