Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any books and journal articles on the impacts of colonisation and urban migration on Māori access to health today?

 

On this page you can find a range of resources on the impacts of colonisation and urban migration on Māori health.

You can also check the Nursing Subject guide box on Cultural Safety, Māori health models and more

You can also use the Research Assistant in Library Search to find recommended peer-reviewed articles. This FAQ  helps you to use Research Assistant effectively.

Ebooks

Metge, J. (2021). A New Maori Migration: Rural and Urban Relations in Northern New Zealand(1st ebook edition.). Routledge.

Chapter in an ebook

Cox, L, Taua, C., Drummond, A. & Kidd, J. (2021) Health inequity and disadvantage in Aotearoa New Zealand. In J. Crisp, C. Douglas, G. Rebeiro & D. Waters. Potter & Perry’s  fundamentals of nursing. (6^th  Australia and NZ ed., pp.55-83). Elsevier.

McIntosh, J., Marques, B. & Mwipiko, R. (2021). Therapeutic landscapes and indigenous culture: Māori health models in Aotearoa. In Clan and tribal perspectives on social, economic and environmental sustainability: Indigenous stories …(pp.143-158). Emerald. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345702470_Therapeutic_Landscapes_and_Indigenous_Culture_Maori_Health_Models_in_AotearoaNew_Zealand

Pihama, L. & Lee-Morgan, J. (2019) Colonization, education and indigenous peoples. In McKinley & Tuhiwai Smith. Handbook of indigenous education. (pp. 41-53). Springer.

Pihama, L., & Smith, L. T. (Eds.). (2024). Understanding the impact of colonisation ...Kaupapa Māori analysis of determinants for negative outcomes. In Ora : healing ourselves - indigenous knowledge, healing and wellbeing. (pp. 77-79). Huia Publishers.

Poata-Smith, E. T. (2015). Inequality and Maori. In M.Rashbrooke (Ed.) Inequality : a New Zealand crisis. (pp.148-164).

Journal articles

 

Barton, P. (2018). The elephant in the room--nursing and Maori health disparities. Nursing New Zealand (Wellington, N.Z. : 1995), 24(4), 17–43. https://libproxy.ara.ac.nz/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=129748737&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Came, H. (2020). From gorse to ngahere : an emerging allegory for decolonising the New Zealand health system. New Zealand Medical Journal, 133(1524), 102–110. https://libproxy.ara.ac.nz/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mdc&AN=33119573&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Came, H. A., Herbert, S., & McCreanor, T. (2021). Representations of Māori in colonial health policy in Aotearoa from 2006-2016: a barrier to the pursuit of health equity. Critical Public Health, 31(3), 338–348. https://libproxy.ara.ac.nz/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hch&AN=150512649&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Curtis, E., Jones, R., Willing, E., Anderson, A., Paine, S.-J., Herbert, S., Loring, B., Dalgic, G., & Reid, P. (2023). Indigenous adaptation of a model for understanding the determinants of ethnic health inequities. Discover Social Science and Health, 3(1), 10–10.

Moewaka Barnes, H., & McCreanor, T. (2019). Colonisation, hauora and whenua in Aotearoa. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 49(sup1), 19–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2019.1668439 

Muru-Lanning, M. et al. (2026). He uri au nō tēnei whenua: I am a descendent of this land. Whakapapa, whenua and kaumatua hauora. Wkaka Kuaka (35), 1/2, 19-44.

Pihama, L., Reynolds, P., Smith, C., Reid, J., Smith, L. T., & Te Nana, R. (2014). Positioning historical trauma theory within Aotearoa New Zealand. AlterNative : An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 10(3), 248–262. https://ara.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/64ARA_INST/1c0li85/cdi_sage_journals_10_1177_117718011401000304

Reid, P., Cormack, D., & Paine, S. (2019). Colonial histories, racism and health—The experience of Māori and Indigenous peoples. Public Health (London), 172, 119–124. https://libproxy.ara.ac.nz/login?url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S003335061930126X

Reid, P. (2017). Achieving health equity in Aotearoa : strengthening responsiveness to Māori in health research. New Zealand Medical Journal, 130(1465), 96–103. https://libproxy.ara.ac.nz/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mdc&AN=29121628&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Reweti, A., Ware, F., & Moriarty, H. (2023). A tangata whenua (people of the land) approach to conceptualising Māori health and wellbeing. Global Health Promotion, 30(2), 11–18. 

Rolleston, A. K., Cassim, S., Kidd, J., Lawrenson, R., Keenan, R., & Hokowhitu, B. (2020). Seeing the unseen: Evidence of kaupapa Maori health interventions. AlterNative : An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 16(2), 129–136. https://ara.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/64ARA_INST/1c0li85/cdi_crossref_primary_10_1177_1177180120919166

Thom, R. R. M., & Grimes, A. (2022). Land loss and the intergenerational transmission of wellbeing: The experience of iwi in Aotearoa New Zealand. Social Science & Medicine , 296, 114804–114804. https://libproxy.ara.ac.nz/login?url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953622001101

Wirihana, R. & Smith, C. (2014) Historical trauma , healing and well-being in Māori communities. Mai Journal, 3 (3), 197-210. https://www.journal.mai.ac.nz/sites/default/files/MAI_Jrnl_3%283%29_Wirihana02.pdf

Zambas, S. I., & Wright, J. (2016). Impact of colonialism on Māori and Aboriginal healthcare access: a discussion paper. Contemporary Nurse : A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession, 52(4), 398–409. https://libproxy.ara.ac.nz/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cul&AN=118764832&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Authoritative websites

Derby, M. (2011, March 22). Māori urban migration. In Te Ara Encyclopedia  of New Zealand. https://teara.govt.nz/en/maori-pakeha-relations/page-5

Lange, R. (2014, May 5). Te hauora Māori i mua - history of Māori health. Te Ara Encyclopedia  of New Zealand. https://teara.govt.nz/en/te-hauora-maori-i-mua-history-of-maori-health

New Zealand Productivity Commission. (2022, June 9). Colonisation, racism and wellbeing. https://www.treasury.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2024-05/pc-inq-fcfa-nzpc-colonisation-racism-wellbeing-final.pdf 

Nursing Council of New Zealand (2011) Guideline for cultural safety, the Treaty of Waitangi and Maori health in nursing education and practice. https://www.nursingcouncil.org.nz/Public/Nursing/Standards_and_guidelines/NCNZ/nursing-section/Standards_and_guidelines_for_nurses.aspx

Public Health Advisory Committee. (2025). Determining our future - Social, cultural, economic and commercial determinants of wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand: Actions to improve our health and wellbeing. Wellington: Ministry of Health. https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/2025-08/PHAC-determining-our-future-v5.pdf

Waitangi Tribunal. (2023). Hauora: Report on stage one of the Health Services and Outcomes Kaupapa Inquiry: Wai 2575 https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/WT/wt_DOC_195476216/Hauora%202023%20W.pdf 

Video

Jordan, A. (2016, May 9). White sheep Wairoa documentary. https://youtu.be/_uhdxTDspoo?si=hm4bhJ7dmhvbS16b (A documentary about a group of Māori who came from traditional marae-based backgrounds in Wairoa in the North Island and took the opportunity to train in the Māori Trades Training (MTT) programme in Christchurch - a programme supported by government policies to meet workforce shortages in cities in the 1960s. They share how they coped with the stark cultural differences. Provides insight into the impact of Māori urban migration in the 1960s.