Ko tēnei pepa e titiro ana i tā te Māori momo rangahau

kia uia atu ngā momo whaiaro uarā o ēnei wāhine Māori

e ono e mahi ana ki rota i ngā tari mātauranga. Ko tā te

Māori whai huarahi ki tana momo rangahau e pā ana ki

tana reo, me tana ahurea, hāngai ki tenei momo rāngahau.

Ko te āhua i pakeke ai te Māori, hāngai ki ngā kōrero ā-waha,

te taha mātauranga me ā rātau titiro. Ko te wāhi

mahi, ko te rangahau i pā, i whai atu ki ngā āhuatanga

me te uaua o te whakatōtika i tā te Māori titiro, me tā te

wahine Māori anō hoki te titiro. He mea tiro anō hoki e

te wahine Māori tā te ao whānui tātari wāhine, me te

āhua e pā ana ki ngā wāhine taketake ake nō te whenua

he koi, he tohunga, e rangahautia ana me he hāngai anō

ēnei momo titiro ki te Māori, me ngā wāhine taketake

ake nō te whenua tipu. Hei tautoko i tēnei rangahau, ka

whakatakototia he anga Māori pēnei i ana momo (ahurea

mātauranga me ngā uarā) hei whakatū whakaaro mā te

wahine ki te rapu huarahi ki ngā tūranga mahi

mātauranga kia hurihia ngā whakaaro mo te pai o te

wahine Māori.

This paper explores a Māori centred approach (Durie,

1997) to a qualitative study that investigated the

experiences of six Māori women working in educational

organisations (Tomlins Jahnke, 1996). A Māori centred

approach to research assumes that Māori people, their

language and culture are at the centre of the research

process (Durie, 1997; Jahnke & Taiapa, 1999). A life

history method, using oral narratives, was applied to

examine the reality of the women's lives, their education

and vocation. In the workplace, the study focused on the

nature of the women's experiences and the tensions that

arise as they contest, create and capture space for being

Māori and women. Drawing on critiques of western

feminisms by Māori women and other indigenous scholars

a case is made for indigenous (Māori) women's theories

that adequately address the needs of Māori and Indigenous

women. Supported by data from the study, a framework

is presented that demonstrates that Māori frameworks

(cultural knowledge and values) form the basic principles

upon which the women strategise to navigate the

education workplace and to negotiate as agents of change.