Māori and indigenous views on R and R: Resistance and Resilience

This article explores the development of Maori and Indigenous frameworks of resilience, considering the impact of engaging with largely Stateled notions of resilience on Maori development. We highlight the closely linked notion of resistance, asserting the necessity of a fi rm political analysis from Indigenous researchers engaged in this discourse. One of the Indigenous criticisms of resilience theories is that by defi nition they assume an acceptance of responsibility for our position as disadvantaged individuals. That is, by examining and developing theories and models of resilience we buy into the idea that this is the way it is and we need simply to get better at bouncing back and being resilient. Resistance, however, represents an approach of collective fi ghtback, exposing the inequitable distribution of power, and actively opposing negative social, political and economic infl uences. This article represents a Maori Indigenous political response to the resilience discourse. * Lecturer and Director Postgraduate, Te Puna Wananga, Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, New Zealand. Email: m.penehira@auckland.ac.nz † Doctoral Candidate, School of Maori and Pacifi c Development, University of Waikato, New Zealand. ‡ ProVice Chancellor Maori, Te Kotahi Research Institute for Innovation, Wellbeing and Inspiration, University of Waikato, New Zealand. § Consultant, ATRIO Consulting, Sydney, Australia. MAORI AND INDIGENOUS VIEWS ON R & R 97 MAI JOURNAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2, 2014