Hauora Kaumātua: a review essay on kaumātua wellbeing

Abstract

Research on hauora kaumātua, health and wellbeing constitutes a small, but growing body of literature. This review essay examines the current state of knowledge and the progress made over recent years in achieving kaumātua health and wellbeing. Health and wellbeing are not defined by the absence of disease, but by the interplay between culture, environment and whānau. While research to date has contributed enormously to the development of frameworks and approaches that have advanced Māori aspirations, we do not yet have a full understanding of kaumātua health and wellbeing from the perspective of kaumātua themselves. This review considers the methodological and theoretical approaches that have been developed to understand the social and environmental contexts of older Māori and argues for approaches that centre the kaumātua voice in addressing the persistent inequities in Māori health outcomes.

Keywords

• Kaumātua
• hauora
• health
• wellbeing
• gerontology