Lay summary
I am a kaupapa Maori researcher committed to initiatives that improve the wellbeing of Maori women by reclaiming customary knowledge that reflects positive messages regarding Maori women’s sexuality. This is necessary because colonial historians have used dehumanising language to present Maori women as inferior in Maori culture due to our sexuality. What the colonial historians wrote has been reproduced into contemporary times. The consequences continue to produce inequalities and negative outcomes that impact on the health and wellbeing of Maori women and girls and the wider whanau more generally. My career and research objectives are to facilitate positive transformation for Maori women, whanau and the wider community through reclaiming empowering traditional knowledge related to gender and sexuality. I use a kaupapa Maori methodology because it is committed to producing research that is by Maori, for Maori, and in response to Maori needs and aspirations.