New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline - Ministry of Health

Part 7: Mäori perspectives
7.2 National hui
This section reports on information gathered
from five hui that were conducted throughout
New Zealand during 2005. As a participatory
method of gathering information, hui allow
members of the community to voice their views
and opinions on topics of mutual interest.
Gathering information from hui is therefore
seen as a complementary method to more
conventional research methods as it actively
encourages information sharing and exchange in
a public forum.
Considering the main objective underpinning
this guideline, and in lieu of empirical evidence
that reports directly on Mäori and ASD, an
important caveat needs to be made about
the information reported in this section. The
information that follows represents subjective
opinions and views regarding ASD expressed
by attendees at the respective hui. These views
are not generalisable beyond the contexts in
which they were recorded. Therefore, the
content of this section should not be regarded
as a consensual characterisation of views held
by Mäori about ASD, and it should not be
assumed that the content is representative of
the Mäori community more generally. With this
caveat in mind, the information that follows
presents a valuable insight into issues raised by
Mäori participants at the hui about ASD. It is
anticipated that the content of this section will
provide a significant foundation from which
future research examining Mäori and ASD will
draw from and build on.
The hui were held in Auckland, Wellington,
Christchurch, Whangarei and Hastings.
Representatives from the Ministry of Health,
the Ministry of Education and the Disability
Directorate facilitated the meetings.
Background information
Following advice from the Mäori Advisory
Group, work was undertaken to identify
points within the guideline-in-progress where
specific information or commentary from
Mäori was required. Under the key themes
of assessment and diagnosis, education and
support, and transition, a number of questions
were developed. Along with these questions,
background information about ASD was
developed as supporting material.
To encourage further Mäori input about both
the questions and supporting material, a hui
was held in April 2005 with whänau who had
experience in providing support to people
with ASD. The purpose of this hui was to
seek responses to the information that had
been developed and to improve and extend
the existing materials where it was deemed
necessary. The outcomes from this hui were
summarised and the resulting information was
then reviewed by the Mäori Advisory Group.
Using these materials, an inventory of structured
questions was developed to serve as a guide
to prompt discussion at five hui held during
November 2005. An open-ended question
was also included to allow for more candid
discussion on issues otherwise not included
under each of the key themes.
Questions included in the guide covered the
following themes:
• factors influencing representation
• assessment and diagnosis
• post-diagnosis support
• the need for a kaiarahi
• education
• services and ongoing support
• information
• guideline development
• other ASD related issues – open discussion.
Invitations were extended to all interested
individuals using a number of networks. The
five hui were held in three cities and two
large urban townships, namely: Auckland,
Wellington, Christchurch, Whangarei and
Hastings. About 150 individuals attended the
hui. Participants included a wide range of
Part 7
New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline 203