Applying the complementary knowledge bases of System Dynamics and Indigenous knowledge in public health research in Aotearoa, New Zealand

Abstract

Systems Thinking is increasingly applied to address complex societal and public health issues in Aotearoa, New Zealand and has been proposed as a good fit with traditional wisdom and Mātauranga Māori (Indigenous knowledge) from Aotearoa, New Zealand. In this article, we delve into the theoretical underpinnings of Systems Thinking approaches used in Community-Based System Dynamics research and find parallels with Indigenous narratives and knowledge. The synergy created by combining these two knowledge systems and practices is proposed as an effective way to approach public health issues that emerge from complex adaptive systems, particularly in communities with large numbers of Indigenous peoples. Examples are given from an initiative to engage community to improve food security and nutrition in regional Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Community Co-Design of Regional Actions for Children’s Nutritional Health Combining Indigenous Knowledge and Systems Thinking

“…The GMB workshop processes developed for application in this community are based on the hypothesis that the holistic and relational view of Systems Thinking aligns with Indigenous knowledge and systems, in this context, mātauranga Māori [35] and they are grounded in the languages and practices of the community in which we were working. While we describe elements of this alignment throughout the present text, the theoretical resonances are described in McKelvie-Sebileau et al [29].…”

“…The Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand has a high Indigenous population where 37% of children are of Māori ethnicity, and there is relatively high community deprivation, with approximately 30% of the population living in the nationally determined quintile of highest deprivation [26]. Building on Gerritsen et al's [20,27] and Heke et al's [24] research, and the theoretical resonances between Systems Thinking and mātauranga Māori (Indigenous knowledge) [28,29], we hypothesized that the CBSD process using Group Model Building (GMB) would be an innovative and useful technique for the Hawke's Bay community to collaboratively design actions to address children's nutrition. GMB workshops train participants to think about the interconnections between core concepts, for example, ideas, people, objects and behaviors [24] and the emphasis is on collaboration and empowerment of participants through the process [30].…”