Lay summary
Kai is central to Māori identity, connection, and wellbeing. Nutrition also plays a vital role in the prevention and management of conditions that disproportionately affect Māori, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. When delivered in a culturally safe and mana-enhancing way, dietetic care has the potential to support hauora across generations. However, Māori patients continue to face significant barriers to appropriate nutrition care. Dietetic services in Aotearoa are often shaped by Western models that prioritise standardised processes over meaningful outcomes, with little consideration for Māori world views, values, or holistic wellbeing. This can result in care that is ineffective, disempowering, and misaligned with whānau needs. This research will co-design, test, and evaluate a kaupapa Māori-informed model of dietetic care. Guided by kaupapa Māori methodology and the He Pikinga Waiora and FrEEIA frameworks, it aims to improve engagement, uphold tino rangatiratanga in care relationships, and contribute to more equitable health outcomes for Māori.