SPEaR Good Practice Guidelines 2008: Research and evaluation involving Māori

Applying the Principle of Integrity to research and evaluation involving Māori

To ensure the integrity of their work with Māori, officials should:

Ensure development of a consultation plan that identifies likely participants and consult with agencies such as Te Puni Kōkiri and specialist advisors (some agencies have these people), to ensure that the right people to talk with are identified.
Researchers have control over the research process and research participants are reliant on the researcher to act with integrity. It is the personal and professional integrity and mana of the researcher that is at stake in any research project.
Be ethical and honest during all research and evaluation activities.

Being honest and upfront about the purpose of the research and the benefits, be they positive or negative. Integrity is the need to tell the truth about what we are looking for. Often surreptitiously or through ignorance there can be a bit of dishonesty; promising to change the world, but knowing we can't deliver. Integrity means:

Telling people the whole story.

Telling them what the limitations are.

Telling them what you can and cannot do.

Telling them that release of the research or evaluation report is at the discretion of the commissioning agency.

Telling them that a change in government policy or the operating environment may result in a lukewarm or muted response on the part of the government agencies involved, even if the findings are positive. (ANZEA Hui August 2007)

Develop a consultation plan for engaging with Māori, Māori organisations, hapū and iwi that have been identified as likely participants in the project.
Use the planning and consultation phases to identify whether there are likely to be actions required for addressing intellectual and cultural property issues or concerns now and in the future. Ensure future consultation is enacted when the data is reused.

It is important to be aware that the cultural and intellectual property rights are the subject of several claims under the Treaty of Waitangi. Law in this area may be different to Lore. Refer to Research and Evaluation Contracting - Applying the Principle of Respect for an outline of Crown Copyright. Working these aspects out in advance is preferable to facing later disputes.

Check the validity of the analysis and/or reporting of data with Māori participants.

It is good practice to check your interpretation of information. It is particularly important when different cultural perspectives and contexts are involved.

Be mindful of wider impacts and consequences that could arise from the project and be include these in your consent process.

… I was thinking about doing research on the effect of dialysis on whānau and hapū. "One of my uncles had been on dialysis for a number of years and I had observed a range of responses from the whānau, to uncle's condition. I went to talk to my aunt and she was so open to sharing uncle's story, her story, and their experiences. However, I felt I needed to talk to my cousins about whether they were happy with me doing the research in which their father featured so prominently. Despite my aunt being one hundred percent okay and consenting to the research, there were implications for my cousins, and I felt whānau consent was needed. So for me, acting with integrity means thinking about the wider implications, not only for those you are dealing with directly, but also their whānau, hapū and iwi. Integrity means thinking through possible implications and ramifications, for all concerned, before you get started. (ANZEA Hui August 2007)

Be aware that acting with integrity is a test of your character

… I interviewed a koro, who said to me, A lie will travel halfway around the world before truth puts on its shoes. I think it might have been a quote of Mark Twain's. What he meant within the context of our korero was that if you compromise your integrity, your name, you are nothing. Integrity is your character litmus test, he said. Bugger it up and you bugger up everything. You can't teach integrity; there are no university courses called The Principles of Integrity Encounters. It's not like learning skills in research and intervention. Integrity is life-long and is never consistent or static. Tied to integrity is self-confidence. I don't mean whakahihi; I mean whakaiti. Don't compromise your principles, but you might have to compromise your priorities. If only...Integrity follows you for life. You can't teach it. In order for you to know you have integrity, it has to be tested. (ANZEA Hui August 2007)