Developing a Kaupapa Māori Rights-Focused Research Agenda

This chapter describes our collaborative research project called He Ture Kia Tika: Let the Law Be Right, which envisaged a criminal justice system that supports whānau experiencing mental distress and/or addiction. We outlined our kaupapa Māori-led co-production methodology to highlight how this approach fosters a Māori or indigenous rights-focused research agenda. We draw on the processes that guided our research to promote indigenous rights and reflect on how this may expand our thinking across various criminological contexts and support the objectives of human rights-centred criminology. Our research is premised on the rights afforded Māori under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, within a te ao Māori worldview and based on a tikanga system of laws. This not only disrupts Pākehā hegemony, but it has unique benefits for guiding research and future policy. This chapter then highlights the gains created through utilising tikanga in building relationships and creating safe spaces for sharing that led to collaborative storytelling. We have found that these methods build a solid foundation through which an intersection of indigenous rights, participant-centred methods and ethical research is prioritised.