Hā Ora: Reflecting on a Kaupapa Māori community engaged co-design approach to lung cancer research

Co-designed research is gaining prominence within the health care space. Community engagement is a key premise of co-design and is also particularly vital when carrying out kaupapa Maori research. Kaupapa Maori describes a “by Maori, for Maori” approach to research in Aotearoa/New Zealand. This article discusses the research process of Ha Ora: a co-design project underpinned by a kaupapa Maori approach. The objective was to explore the barriers to early presentation and diagnosis of lung cancer, barriers identified by Maori. The team worked with four rural Maori communities, with whom we aimed to co-design local interventions that would promote earlier diagnosis of lung cancer. This article highlights and unpacks the complexities of carrying out community- engaged co-design with Maori who live in rural communities. In particular, we draw attention to the importance of flexibility and adaptability in the research process. We highlight issues pertaining to timelines and budgets, and also the intricacies of involving co-governance and advisory groups. Overall, through this article, we argue that health researchers need to prioritise working with and for participants, rather than on them, especially when working with Maori communities.