Te Māoritanga WELLBEING AND IDENTITY Kapa Haka as a Vehicle

Māori analysis can produce very different results (Cunningham, 2000) and will
yield a meaningful outcome for Māori.
Thematic analysis
Data analysis is described by Ratima (2001) as a process by which
collected data is categorised in order to address the research question, and is
useful in prioritising what data should be analysed and why.
The data was analysed using a qualitative thematic analysis (Patton,
1990). The data was first transcribed and then thematically analysed in order to
extract the main ideas. In order to do this, the transcripts were scanned for
ideas. The transcriptions were also read and re-read and the key findings were
discussed with the researcher’s supervisors to seek their advice as to the way
in which the views had been interpreted to ensure rigor, and prompt further
discussion of the themes. The key findings were then discussed with the
puwānanga 55 to ensure that their views had been interpreted appropriately.
Durie (1998) states that analysis of Māori research must incorporate the themes
of a Māori inquiry paradigm;
“Analysis based on frameworks relevant to Māori must be a fundamental
goal of Māori research….It recognises that the design of research and
the interpretation of data are not themselves mechanical tasks but are
very much shaped by context, values and assumptions” (Durie, 1998).
As a Māori researcher, these values and assumptions are important, and help
to inform, not hinder the data analysis process.
This research is essentially about the argument in how best to discuss
traditional knowledge and its application to health promotion practice. The
research is not implying that within lie the keys to unlocking traditional
knowledge, rather, that there are ways of viewing traditional knowledge, through
such constructs like whakapapa/whakaheke, and there are ways to implement
some of the philosophies and concepts into tangible representations of hauora
through different mediums or vehicles.
55 Pūwānanga - holders and utilisers of knowledge
55