June 18, 2014
Maori trauma research gets boost
Te Atawhai o te Ao, the Whanganui-based Independent Maori Institute for Environment and Health, has received more than $3.7 million from the Health Research Council’s new Capability in Independent Research Organisations Fund.
Lead researcher Paul Reynolds says the money, which is spread over four years, will allow the institute to continue its work on Maori inter generational trauma and healing.
To qualify for the fund, organisations need to be doing research that is not being done elsewhere and that is nationally significant, meaning it can contribute to growing the economy or achieving key environmental, societal and health outcomes for New Zealanders.
Dr Reynolds says trauma is a widespread and poorly understood element in Maori society, whether it be a result of sexual violence, imprisonment, alienation from whenua or other situations.
"Our whanau, our communities, our hapu and iwi are experiencing trauma as we see in the news media quite often around chiuld trauma, state foster care of some of our children, a lot of our people are imprisoned," he says.
Dr Reynolds says as well as trying to better understand trauma, his institute hopes to develop tools to help whanau and iwi address it.
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