Wairua, Identity, and Belonging: Centring Māori Narratives to Seek Restoration and Wellbeing

Centring wairua alongside Māori understandings and ways of being offers a pathway for the discipline of psychology to boldly take up the challenge of transformational change. In the context of the long-awaited response to the 2018 Waitangi Tribunal claim highlighting failures of the discipline and the Crown to ensure an equitable and culturally competent workforce, there is a timely opportunity for psychology in Aotearoa to embody the aspirations of Te Tiriti o Waitangi through engaging with an ethic of restoration (Jackson, 2021). Drawing on narratives of wairua and experiences of psychological distress, healing, and recovery, we explore how Māori have made meaning of their identity and belonging. We look to Māori experiences and understandings to chart a way forward for psychology that prioritises restoration.