16 Mar Growing the Puna | Samantha Kamariera

Samantha Kamariera (Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri) 

I was born and raised in a small city within the Manawatu – Palmerston North, New Zealand. As a child, I was fortunate enough to grow up with sports being second nature to me. I was involved in numerous team sports including netball, touch rugby, cricket, basketball, and kī-o-rahi. 

My project was based on exploring an understanding of Māori systems approaches- what that is and what it means for my future. My report includes who I am, my literature review, Māori health models and frameworks, and the findings of my research.

As I started my project, I realised that Google was no help as there was no ‘one’ answer. This topic is broad and with an open-ended question of ‘what a māori systems approach is’, the additional questions came with it. This was overwhelming and something I could not get my head around until after my interviews were complete. There was not going to be just one answer to this question, and this question had questions. My interviews gave me the insight I needed to answer this question as each person had a different perspective on what a Māori systems approach meant to them.

Learn more about Sam’s experience here.