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Abolition, race and health in Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu

Year:
2026
Duration:
36 months
Approved budget:
$260,000.00
Researchers:
Dr Jaclyn Aramoana
,
Associate Professor Sarah-Jane Paine
,
Associate Professor Paula King
Host:
The University of Auckland
Health issue:
Wellbeing (autonomy self-determination)
Proposal type:
Māori Health Clinical Training Fellowship
Lay summary
The relationship between race, racism and health has been well-established internationally and in New Zealand. However, less focus has been given to the contribution of carceral systems to this relationship, and in particular how the health effects of racism are related to criminalisation, policing and imprisonment by the state. This doctoral research will be conducted within an abolitionist, Kaupapa Māori approach and will explore how, as part of the health response to racism and aspirations for wellness, abolition attends to the effects of prisons and policing on Māori health, with a focus on the histories and experiences of Waikato iwi. Using a range of methods, including archival and literature review, and wānanga, the research will consider the importance of incorporating abolitionist, kaupapa Māori approaches into theorising, and interventions that aim to address systems of racism and their health effects.