Conceptualising the Link Between Resilience and Whānau Ora: Results From a Case Study

This paper addresses two objectives; first, to explore whether the concept of resilience, as described in the international literature, has resonance in the New Zealand Indigenous context; and second, to discuss the link between the concept of resilience and the Māori concept of whānau ora. The paper draws on findings from a qualitative study that utilised a single case study design. Data collection methods for the full study included a comprehensive literature review, organisational document review, conceptual framework development, in-depth key informant interviews and sequential focus groups with health service consumers. The utility, relevance and applicability of understandings of resilience in Māori health service provision are explored and discussed. Results affirm that an ecological perspective of resilience, while not necessarily articulated as such by individual case study participants, has some resonance with case study participants. We conclude that where Māori health providers are able to deliver health care using a whānau ora approach, specific to their unique community, such an approach can indeed support individual and whānau resilience.