Lay summary
This qualitative kaupapa Māori study uses a public health lens to investigate the end-of-life experiences of 26 Māori whānau who had someone in their ‘bubble’ die during COVID-19 lockdown. We will explore whānau experiences of end-of-life care, gaps in palliative care, interpretation and enactment of COVID-19 health and tangihanga policies across seven sites, and the creative ways they used or adapted their customs. Up to 34 health professionals and funeral directors will provide insights into the challenges and creative solutions they adopted to support whānau. A creative-arts dissemination approach will be employed to collaborate with bereaved whānau to create a visual representation of their COVID-19 resilience. These visual-textual stories will be shared at interactive public exhibitions to promote community discussion and increase understanding. The findings will be disseminated on Pā Te Aroha (a Māori end-of-life website), publications and hui to support Māori resilience during pandemics.