Positioning Historical Trauma Theory within Aotearoa new Zealand

Abstract

This article explores the relevance of historical trauma theory for Mäori research. In exploring the impact of historical trauma upon Mäori it has become clear that the terminology associated with historical trauma theory is considered controversial in Aotearoa New Zealand. As such, this article provides an overview of key defi nitions relevant to historical trauma and explores these in relation to recent reporting related to the use of the terms "holocaust" and "genocide" in the context of colonization in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is argued that in order to engage fully with the impacts of colonization on Mäori wellbeing we must articulate fully the impact of historical trauma events and the contribution of those events to the negative health disparities experienced by many of our whänau (extended family), hapü (sub-tribes) and iwi (tribes).

Towards a bicultural psychotherapy: Decolonising psychotherapy in hospice care

“…In 1877, colonial courts ruled that Te Tiriti was void and began to confiscate Māori land, forcing Māori to immigrate into urban settings, while te reo Māori and some Māori ways of being, including hauora (health) practices were criminalised (Crocket, ). This created what some have described as a cultural genocide (Pihama et al, ). It created a diverse myriad of realities, where many people of Māori descent became isolated and alienated from both Māori and Pākehā worlds through the traumatic and brutal stripping away of Māori ways of being.…”

Challenges of operationalizing trauma‐informed practice in child protection services in New Zealand

“…Māori over-representation as perpetrators and victims of violence can only be understood from a historical perspective that takes account of colonization (Jenkins & Harte, 2011;Ministerial Advisory Committee, 1988;Pihama et al, 2014;Taonui, 2010) When legislative change was under consideration in the 1980s, a Māori perspective was sought. In their report Puao-te-ata-tu, the Ministerial Advisory Committee (1988) documented the impact of colonization and institutional racism, arguing that the imposition of dominant cultural values based on the nuclear family had been extremely detrimental for Māori children.…”

“…can only be understood from a historical perspective that takes account of colonization (Jenkins & Harte, 2011;Ministerial Advisory Committee, 1988;Pihama et al, 2014;Taonui, 2010). A SAMHSA to the traumatic impact.…”

Social, cultural, and ecological justice in the age the Anthropocene: A New Zealand early childhood care and education perspective

“…Settler colonisation has inflicted incalculable harm to both peoples and lands, resulting in layerings of intergenerational trauma that is invisible to those who have not learnt these histories, have not learnt to empathise with this pain (Pihama et al, 2014;Tracey, 2013). Generating dispositions of empathy is therefore an ethical stance that should be prioritised, yet this needs to be done with great sensitivity, and of course, with empathy.…”