Byron Rangiwai
Biographic Data
| ID | 785441 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Byron Rangiwai |
| GIVEN NAMES | Byron |
| FAMILY NAME | Rangiwai |
| SIGNATURE | RANGIWAI B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Auckland University of Technology |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9174-0009 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 70 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 70 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Falling Through the Cracks - The Toll of Mis- and Missed Diagnosis in Fasd and ADHD: A Call to Action
This commentary exam Unitec Institute of Technology ines the widespread issue of mis- and missed diagnosis of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with a particular focus on the disproportionate impact on Māori individuals and their whānau. Grounded in a Kaupapa Māori approach, this research integrates mātauranga Māori and lived experience to critically analyse the systemic barriers that pre…
Traversing the intersectionality of being fat, Māori, ADHD, takatāpui, and Christian
The intersectionality of being fat, Māori, ADHD, takatāpui, and Christian reveals complex experiences shaped by both colonial and Indigenous frameworks. Drawing on Indigenous Fat Studies, Kaupapa Māori theory, and intersectionality, this paper critiques Western deficit-based narratives that pathologise body size, neurodivergence, gender, and faith. Public health initiatives often medicalize fatness and ADHD, overlooking Māori perspectives that em…
Exploring Te Kooti’s 1886 Te Umutaoroa prophecy as a climate adaptation framework: Prophetic reflections inspired by the Toi Rito Toi Rangatira programme
This paper is the beginning point of reflecting on and exploring the 1886 Te Umutaoroa prophecy, given by Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Tūruki, as a climate adaptation framework, inspired by the Toi Rito Toi Rangatira - Rangatahi Climate Leadership Programme. Selected by my hapū, Patuheuheu and Ngāti Haka, I joined this programme aimed at rangatahi Māori involved in Deep South Research projects. Despite initial reservations about my age, my kaumātua enc…
Flighty like the pīwakawaka: Personal reflections on mid-life ADHD diagnosis and the beginnings of a framework for conceptualising the condition from a Māori perspective
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and executive dysfunction. While commonly associated with childhood, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder often persists into adulthood and poses significant challenges in various aspects of life, leading to negative self-perceptions, decreased quality of life, and increased risk of comorbid mental hea…
Reflections on being an academic with ADHD
My reflections on being an adult with ADHD and an academic contribute insights into living with, and managing the everyday reality of, this neurodevelopmental disorder. Narrating my personal story from struggles to successes within the education system and on to academia, I believe there is a gap in the literature with regard to Māori perspectives on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Indigenous Cultures and Post-Mortem Photography
This paper explores the differences between Māori and Samoan approaches to post-mortem photography. This paper will show that Māori consider the notion of post-mortem photography as offensive, while for some Samoans, post-mortem photography is acceptable. This article emerges due to the scarcity of research on post-mortem photography in Indigenous communities. We analyze the underlying beliefs of these communities in relation to post-mortem photo…
An Indigenous Analysis of the Bulimia andHakaMontage in Netflix'sThe Crown
This paper will critically discuss the bulimia and haka (Māori posture dance) montage featured in Season Four, Episode Six of Netflix’s The Crown from an Indigenous Kaupapa Māori perspective—that is, from a position that accepts a Māori worldview as normal, valid, and real. This paper will argue that the problem with The Crown’s montage is that it represents Māori and the haka in exoticising, othering, and demeaning ways. Drawing on a range of th…
Towards an understanding of Io through Atuatanga
The debate concerning the authenticity of Io (personal name for the Supreme Being) is a complicated and extensive one. For some, Io is a fabricated reflection of the Christian God. For others, Io is a genuine Māori deity which can also be traced elsewhere in the Pacific. However, from a Māori theological perspective, hard lines and definitions regarding Māori spirituality are pointless. Following the Reverend Māori Marsden who posited that only M…
The effects of the 2021 Delta lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand: Some preliminary material to inform a future research question
This paper is based on preliminary material gathered about the effects of the 2021 Delta lockdown in Aotearoa New Zealand. The preliminary material was gathered via a questionnaire and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. This paper will offer some preliminary findings which are intended to inform a future research question
Reflections on Nan’s liver transplant
The first liver transplant in Aotearoa New Zealand took place in 1998 following the establishment of the New Zealand Liver Transplant Unit (NZLTU) at Auckland Hospital (Gane et al., 2002). From that time to 30 December 2001, 186 patients were listed for liver transplantation, 13 of whom were Māori (Gane et al., 2002). Furthermore, from 1998 to 2014 a total of 595 liver transplants were performed by the NZLTU (Munn et al., 2014). In 1999 my grandm…
"Wake up, Sheeple!" Conspiracy theories and Māori during the Covid-19 pandemic
This situation report outlines some of the literature about conspiracy theories and its application to Māori during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report shows that while there are some psychological factors at play with regard to vulnerability to conspiracy theories, it appears that issues around power and powerlessness are most applicable to Māori, given our historical and political context. The report also advocates for a manaakitanga-informed ap…
The Impacts of Covid-19 on Tangihanga
The influenza pandemic of 1918, which killed 50 million people, has been acknowledged as the most significant disease event in human history. In response to the pandemic, the ways in which tangihanga (Māori funeral practices) were carried out changed. Bodies were immediately taken to the urupā (burial ground) without the customary extended ceremonies. Similarly, the impacts of the burgeoning COVID-19 situation has meant uncomfortable, albeit temp…
Māori theology and syncretism
Syncretism will never be a word used at the dinner tables of whānau (family) or at the marae (Māori communal gathering places) for it is ingrained in a specifically theological world. However, the concept behind the word is something with which Māori are very familiar because we do it automatically. We walk in Māori and Pākehā (New Zealanders of predominantly European ancestry) worlds and our spirituality comes with us. We navigate, negotiate and…
Digital innovation and funeral practices: Māori and Samoan perspectives during the Covid-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 worldwide pandemic has caused the world to stop. It has disrupted traditional funeral processes for Māori and Samoan peoples. Their collective ways of mourning were particularly affected, as social distance restrictions and travel bans meant they were unable to physically gather in large numbers. Despite the disruption caused by COVID-19, digital innovation has meant these groups have been able to remain socially connected, at a phys…
Representation, Covid-19, and failed metaphor: A critical analysis of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board vaccine booklet
This paper will critically analyse the Bay of Plenty District Health Board’s (BOPDHB) controversial vaccine booklet, which featured mataora-adorned cartoon images of the COVID-19 virus. This imagery caused a furore with anecdotal evidence from social media suggesting that Māori were outraged by the portrayal of Māori in this way. This paper will offer two arguments. The first argument builds on Hokowhitu’s (2001) work, which deconstructed represe…
Nan's Stories
This paper explores some of the many stories that my grandmother, Rēpora Marion Brown—Nan, told me when growing up and throughout my adult life. Nan was born at Waiōhau in 1940 and died at her home at Murupara in 2017. Nan was married to Papa— Edward Tapuirikawa Brown. Nan and Papa lived on Kōwhai Avenue in Murupara. Nan’s parents were Koro Ted (Hāpurona Edward (Ted) Maki Nātana) and Nanny Pare (Pare Koekoeā Rikiriki). Koro Ted and Nanny Pare liv…
Walking backwards into the future: Prophecy as an approach for embedding Indigenous values in tertiary education
Indigenous peoples understand time differently to Pākehā (Rangiwai, 2021a). Mahuika (2010) maintains that the notion of walking backwards into the future is a common one for Māori and other people of the Pacific. Roberts (2005) opines, “It is often said that Māori are a people who “walk backwards into the future,” an aphorism that highlights the importance of seeking to understand the present and make informed decisions about the future through r…
Back to the future: Using prophecy to support Māori student success in tertiary education
Māori view time differently to Pākehā. Mahuika (2010) argues that the concept of walking backwards into the future is a common one for Māori and other Polynesian peoples. According to Roberts (2005): “It is often said that Māori are a people who “walk backwards into the future,” an aphorism that highlights the importance of seeking to understand the present and make informed decisions about the future through reference to the past” (p. 8). This p…
Some Brief Notes on Kai Māori
Food is a signifier of identity and status (Hayden, 1998, 2009; Hayden & Villeneuve, 2011; Neill et al., 2015). In traditional times, Māori consumed a range of hunted, gathered, and cultivated foods (Royal & Kaka-Scott, 2013). As a result of this diet, non-infectious diseases were low among Māori due to foods with higher levels of protective chemicals and nutrients (Cambie & Fergusson, 2003)
The Jesus of K Road: Theological reflections on Māori and homelessness
This paper reflects on my observations of, and casual discussions with, Māori experiencing homelessness, specifically, during the current lockdown in Auckland which began on 17 August 2021. It is important for those who experience homelessness to have their voices heard (Beaton et al., 2015). Amplifying these voices could increase understanding of the very complex issues that are faced (Beaton et al., 2015)
It’s about me! My approach to autoethnography
Autoethnography is about me as the writer and researcher exploring my lived experiences (Ballard, 2009; Ritchie et al., 2013) as a form of storytelling (Jones, 2003). It is a genre of writing that “shows struggle, passion, [and] embodied life” (Ellis & Bochner, 2006, p. 433) and provides “highly personalised accounts that draw upon the experience of the author/researcher”
Taurua’s whare
This paper will discuss Taurua’s whare: a whare built to memorialise Taurua Nātana, his mokopuna, and others and to shelter manuhiri engaged in the pōhiri process at Waiōhau marae. Taurua’s whare is part of the Waiōhau marae complex. The complex includes the wharenui, Tama-ki-Hikurangi—a whare built for the nineteenth-century prophet, Te Kooti (Rangiwai, 2021); a wharemate; a shelter for the paepae; a wharekai named after Te Kooti’s prophecy, Te …
Tama-ki-Hikurangi: A whare built for Te Kooti
For the followers of the famous nineteenth-century prophet Te Kooti in Waiōhau, Tama-ki-Hikurangi is an integral part of their whakapapa, history, and theology. Patuheuheu are followers of Te Kooti and as such, the Ringatū faith—the religion that he created—is part of what it means to be Patuheuheu. While adherence to the faith has waxed and waned, the whare, Tama-ki-Hikurangi remains as a focal point of Patuheuheu’s historical connection to Te K…
Lost in translation: Reflexive thematic analysis in research with Pacific peoples
This paper reflects on reflexive thematic analyses with Pacific peoples from different cultural and language backgrounds. This paper will briefly describe reflexive thematic analysis according to Braun et al. (2019) and reflect upon issues concerning thematic analysis and Pacific cultures and languages. As academics, researchers, and practitioners, “we engage in a co-construction of knowledge” with our communities while adhering to cross-cultural…
Edward Fitzgerald—pioneer, coach driver, shepherd, and rabitter: A very brief reflection
My extended whānau, Edward Fitzgerald’s descendants, know very little about him. We know he was of Irish descent, and his death certificate notes that he was born in Tauranga to Tom Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Blackburn. His death certificate states that he died of chronic myocardial degeneration at Waiōhau at the age of 82. This very brief paper gathers the very few known strands of his history and merely describes what is known of him. This paper …
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Race’ and the Politics of Land Loss: Colonising Discourses for Patuheuheu and Ngāti Haka
This article argues that the racial discourses of the nineteenth century had an adverse impact on the ways in which Māori were treated and indeed, informed and justified colonial methods for separating Māori from their land. As a consequence of Pākeha representations of Māori as Other, Patuheuheu and Ngāti Haka - two closely related clans from the Tūhoe tribe - were subjected to oppressive practices which made it easy for Pākeha to unjustly procu…
Te Umutaoroa, Patuheuheu and Ngāti Haka: Towards a Prophetic Model for Unity and Transformation
This article explores the emergence of a prophecy called Te Umutaoroa (earth oven of long cooking), given to Patuheuheu and Ngāti Haka by Te Kooti Arikirangi - a nineteenth century Māori leader whom the government wanted to eliminate. This was a discourse uttered by Te Kooti in 1886 and promised the restoration of all that was taken away from Patuheuheu and Ngāti Haka in the mid 1880s and beyond. This article asserts that Te Kooti was both a prop…
The potential of prophecy: Māori prophetism and the community development
In nineteenth century Aotearoa-New Zealand prophet-leaders rose up to challenge the hegemony of imperialism by melding Indigenous epistemologies with introduced ones. In this sense Māori prophets blended the old world with the new as a means of both cultural survival and resistance against colonialism. One such nineteenth century prophet-leader was Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki (c.1832-c.1891) who blended traditional Māori knowledge with biblical…
Te Umutaoroa – The Slow-Cooking Earth Oven: A Case Study of Intergenerational Transference
In 1886 the Māori prophet Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki delivered a prophecy of hope to Patuheuheu – a hapū of Ngāi Tūhoe – following the loss of their land at Te Houhi in the eastern Bay of Plenty. Te Kooti named this prophecy, Te Umutaoroa – the slow-cooking earth oven. This article explores the emergence of Te Umutaoroa and will explain the intergenerational transfer of this prophecy and how it is utilised today. Significantly, this article wi…
Maori Prophetic Movements as Sites of Political Resistance: A Critical Analysis
This article will argue that Māori prophetic movements were sites of political resistance where Māori prophets resisted colonisation and developed syncretic theologies that gave their followers a sense of hope within a tumultuous colonial environment. The movements of four Māori prophets will be discussed in chronological order: Te Atua Wera and the Nākahi movement; Te Ua Haumēne and the Pai Mārire or Hauhau movement; Te Kooti’s Ringatū movement;…
Te Umutaoroa – A Patuheuheu Research Model
This article describes a Māori world view, and contrasts it with a Pākehā world view in order to demonstrate how cultural norms influence the way in which a person views the world. This article will explain the notion of Kaupapa Māori ideology, which is supported by the Māori world view. The Rangihau model, which places the Māori world view at the centre and locates the Pākehā world view on the periphery, will be used here to illustrate Kaupapa M…
The critical theory of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki
Inscribed in an autograph book in 1949, Sir Āpirana Ngata’s[1] celebrated ōhāki, or parting/death speech, encourages Māori to understand introduced Pākehā knowledge and technologies, while maintaining the knowledge and traditions of their ancestors as a two-pronged approach for Māori progression. He states: E tipu, e rea, mō ngā rā tōu ao; Ko tō ringa ki ngā rākau a te Pākehā hei ara mō te tinana; Ko tō ngākau ki ngā taonga a ō tīpuna Māori hei t…
“God is…”: A personal theology based on stories from my grandmother
“God is...”: A personal theology based on stories from my grandmother
"Hell… unless they repent of their sins and turn to God": The problem of Bible translation and the potential impacts of Israel Folau's comments on Maori and Pasifika minority sexualities
Complexities of bible translations
A reflection on Priscilla Queen of the Desert
In 1994 I watched the film, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert with my best friend in Murupara, a small, predominantly Māori town in the Bay of Plenty. The movie was intense. It was colourful. It was inspiring. This movie was my first experience seeing anything to do with gay, transgender, or drag. Murupara was a town filled with rough talking, hardworking people, with hearts of gold. It was a tight-knit community
Reflections on The Book of Mormon musical: Flirtations with Mormon theology
Since childhood, I have been fascinated by religion. This fascination - and frequent obsession - has remained a significant part of my psyche. I was raised within a syncretistic Māori theological context: a mixture of ancient Māori spirituality blended seamlessly with various Christian denominations and Ringatū - a syncretistic faith founded by the nineteenth century Māori prophet, Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki. I attended all sorts of churches. …
Te Kooti's Slow-Cooking Earth Oven Prophecy: A Patuheuheu account and a new transformative leadership theory
The French philosopher Michel Foucault stated: “I don't write a book so that it will be the final word; I write a book so that other books are possible, not necessarily written by me” (cited in O’Farrell, 2005, p. 9). In the same vein, I offer this book, not as a final word, but as a stepping stone for others. He ihu hūpē ahau1 - I am inexperienced in the ways of this world, and therefore I can write only from my particular Patuheuheu perspective…
Ka Mua, Ka Muri: A New Transformative Leadership Theory Based on a Prophecy by Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki
In this paper, I will argue that for Māori - for whom time is cyclical - looking back and developing leadership models based on the leadership traits and achievements of our ancestors is imperative. Indeed, for Māori, ka mua, ka muri - we walk backwards into the future. This paper will present a new transformative leadership theory based on a prophecy by the Māori prophet Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Tūruki gifted to the Patuheuheu sub-tribe of Aotearo…
Tangihanga
This piece is about the tangihanga of my grandmother who was born in 1940 and passed away in December 2017. My grandmother practically raised me. Her influence over my life is undeniable. She sacrificed much for me and encouraged and believed in me always. My grandmother came from a different world to others in her generation. She was raised in Waiōhau, the home-base of the Patuheuheu hapū. She was a native speaker of the Tūhoe dialect and she ca…
My Emerging Theology
My theology is informed by my identity and upbringing. The pepeha above triangulates my multiple connections to land, mountains, rivers, ancestors, hapū, and iwi. My theology begins with the creation of the universe. The Māori creation story begins with Te Kore. However, in some traditions, the creation process, which ultimately starts with Te Kore, is initiated by Io, the Supreme Creator who has many names. The term Te Kore is often compared wit…
Te Umutaoroa: A model for Patuheuheu hapū development
Patuheuheu is a hapū located in Waiōhau in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. In 1886, following Patuheuheu’s loss of land at Te Houhi - now known as part of Galatea, the Māori prophet, Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki left behind a prophecy of hope that promised the return and restoration of the land. With land comes prosperity, spiritual connection, health and wellbeing, and mana (whenua). This article will canvass Māori development from 1900 to 2025, and…
Atuatanga
Ā-tua: that which is beyond... Out of focus, like a ghostly shadow An enigmatic shape in the corner of my eye Behind a veil of dense mist
Syncretism in Māori Theology
Theology is God talk A human attempt to Theorise the Divine
Atuatanga and syncretism: A view of Māori theology
Christianity is shaped by the contexts into which it is planted. This is certainly true of Christianity in a Māori context. Here, I will creatively explore the notions of Māori theology, Atuatanga, and syncretism
Hereditary entanglement – the significance of whakapapa and genealogical locatedness in Māori research: A researcher’s personal experience
This article explores the idea of hereditary entanglement as a concept for recognising whakapapa and the inseparability of genealogical locatedness within the context of Māori research. This article will look at my hereditary entanglement within the context of doctoral research that I completed at Auckland University of Technology. This article will argue that hereditary entanglement is not only unavoidable for Māori researchers who research aspe…
Ko au ko te taiao, ko te taiao ko au – I am the environment and the environment is me: A Māori theology of the environment
Ko au ko te taiao, ko te taiao ko au – I am the environment and the environment is me. This article will present a Māori theology of the environment based on whakapapa (genealogy), whenua (land), wairua (spirit), whānau (family), and whakapono (faith)
The Impacts of Contemporary Embalming Practices on Tikanga Māori
When Māui, in the form of a mokomoko, attempted to enter the sacred portal of Hinenuitepō, the goddess of death, in an attempt to achieve immortality, but was instead fatally crushed by her thighs, we are reminded forever that death is invariably part of life. When a Māori person dies, more often than not, a tangihanga at a marae ensues. In preparation for the tangihanga, Māori have become accustomed to taking their dead to a funeral home to be e…
Stories are knowledge, and knowledge is literature”: Viewing and re-viewing sites/cites of mātauranga Māori as an alternative to traditional Western literature reviews
Viewing and re-viewing sites/cites of mātauranga Māori as an alternative to traditional Western literature review
Rangahau and Transformative Leadership
In this paper, I will argue that for Māori - for whom time is cyclical - looking back and developing leadership models based on the leadership traits and achievements of our ancestors is imperative. Indeed, for Māori, ka mua, ka muri - we walk back into the future. However, how do we re-discover elements of our past through rangahau? McDonald (2017) argues that rangahau, informed by Māori knowledge and a Māori worldview, is a traditional Māori pr…
Mixed-up Theology
The Māori prophets of the nineteenth century developed syncretistic theologies as responses to colonisation and land loss. In so doing, these prophets provided models for us to follow with regard to maintaining aspects of our culture and traditions alongside introduced ideas. These strategies are useful because they demonstrate indigenous innovation in the face of devastation. They are examples of Māori development in action. The prophets showed …
Sociology (52 works) · Philosophy (37 works) · History (29 works) · Art (21 works) · Political science (21 works) · Psychology (21 works) · Epistemology (20 works) · Gender Studies (20 works) · Theology (19 works) · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights (18 works)