Pae Herenga update

July 3 2020

Dr Tess Moeke-Maxwell and Te Ārai Research Group kuia Whio Hansen Wharemate

Tess provided an update on her Health Research Council funded study Pae Herenga. Not only is the team busy writing academic journal articles about the research, it is preparing the project’s website, Pa Te Aroha. Pa Te Aroha will feature the wisdom and knowledge accumulated during the course of the research, including the more than 20 digital videos collected. The project’s kaumātua chose the Pa Te Aroha name as it means ‘the touch of love’ and resonates with many levels of meaning. This Aroha infused care is expressed in the way whānau actually show their aroha; this has a deeper meaning that Cleve Barlow (1991) associated with a sacred power that comes from the gods or a Supreme life force.

The website will also showcase research, including a video, from a Pae Herenga substudy that explored Maori Vietnam veterans’ lives and perspectives on oranga.  Like just about all research projects, Covid-19 has thrown a spanner into the works regarding timelines for dissemination hui and launching the website. However, when Pa Te Aroha appears, it will have been well worth the wait.