In 2025, Aotearoa has seen powerful conversations about what justice, wellbeing and self-determination really mean – not just in principle, but in the way systems are designed and delivered. At the centre of many of those kōrero is Associate Professor Andrew Erueti, Tumuaki Māori and Associate Dean at the Auckland Law School, whose research is challenging conventional legal frameworks and lifting up tikanga-based approaches that ground wellbeing in culture and community.
Erueti’s work – now recognised with a Royal Society Te Apārangi Mana Tūānuku Fellowship – is advancing tikanga-based approaches to health and child welfare outcomes that confront persistent inequities for Māori whānau.
For decades, Māori communities have argued that mainstream health and social systems in Aotearoa are structured around Western frameworks that too often fail to meet the needs of whānau Māori. These systems focus narrowly on clinical measures or bureaucratic risk frameworks, rather than the holistic wellbeing Māori conceptualise – which includes tinana (body), hinengaro (mind), wairua (spirit) and whānau connection.
Erueti’s research emphasises that tikanga Māori – rooted in whakapapa, manaakitanga and rangatiratanga – is not a “nice to have,” but central to improving outcomes for Māori in health and child welfare systems that have historically struggled to engage Māori communities effectively.
His work shows that when services are designed and delivered with tikanga at the core, they can more effectively meet whānau where they are, building trust in systems that have too often alienated Māori through inequity, bias and fragmentation.
In health services, that can mean wraparound support that addresses not just physical symptoms, but housing, income, cultural connection and mental wellbeing – all of which influence long-term outcomes.
In child welfare, tikanga-based practice prioritises keeping tamariki connected to their whānau, hapū and iwi wherever possible, emphasising whānau-led decision-making, whakapapa-based placements and early intervention that honours belonging and dignity.
Erueti’s mahi does more than point out disparities. It invites Aotearoa to imagine systems that reflect Māori values and authority – not as add-ons but as foundational principles. This is part of a broader debate about tino rangatiratanga and how Māori self-determination can be realised in a post-Treaty settlement context, from health and education to justice, environment and governance.
His perspectives also intersect with ongoing conversations about constitutional transformation and how legal frameworks can either uphold or limit Māori authority in ways that are consistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Recent research he has contributed to, including Indigenous Rights Beyond the Liberal Frame, underscores how concepts like human rights and non-discrimination – while designed to protect people – can also be used to resist calls for Māori authority and push back against models of shared power.
Despite growing recognition of the value of tikanga-centred approaches, kaupapa Māori providers still face systemic challenges: insecure funding, compliance demands built around mainstream models, and limited decision-making power within national systems that were not designed with Māori ways of knowing in mind.
Erueti’s fellowship aims to help develop legal and institutional frameworks that strengthen tikanga-based approaches not just in health and child welfare, but in other spheres where inequities persist. His research seeks to enhance tino rangatiratanga practically – positioning Māori authority and values at the heart of how services are shaped and delivered.
For many Māori communities, this work represents more than academic theory. It points toward pathways for healing, self-determination and intergenerational wellbeing – grounded not in assimilation, but in the recognition and enactment of Māori values and authority.
As the kaupapa of tikanga-based approaches gains traction and Erueti’s research continues to influence policy discussions, the future of Aotearoa’s health and welfare landscape could be reshaped in ways that honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and deliver better outcomes for whānau Māori and beyond.
Hear the full kōrero with Associate Professor Andrew Erueti here:
https://waateanews.com/2025/12/15/associate-professor-andrew-erueti-auckland-law-school/
