He awa whiria —A “Braided River”: An Indigenous Māori Approach to Mixed Methods Research

Abstract

While literature on mixed methodology predominantly focuses on North American and European philosophical stances, non-Eurocentric worldviews and indigenous philosophies are also relevant to mixed methods research. This article aims to present the indigenous Māori worldview (te ao Māori) and how this lends itself to mixed methods research, in a New Zealand European and Māori partnership, to conduct bicultural research. The authors use the Māori metaphor He awa whiria (braided river) to describe combining the strengths of two distinct worldviews into a “workable whole.” A framework brings together these two different paradigms as equals, incorporating both numerical and opinion-driven results. The authors illustrate this with a research example of creating a bicultural research framework, underpinned by mixed methods research philosophy.