Mana Moana

Who created Mana Moana and what is its main purpose?

Dr Karlo Mila

• vitalise and mobilise Pasifikia values, knowledge, and culture

• integrates indigenous and Western paradigms with indigenous values at the core

What is the "Negotiated Space" in Mana Moana?

Karlo Milo-Schaaf & Maui Hudson

A space of reencountering and rebalancing ideas/values for Pacific peoples in Western contexts; it allows integration of competing paradigms while maintaining indigenous core values

What is the purpose of the 70 Power Words in Mana Moana?

To activate ancestral resources through categories like atua, whenua, moana, lanai, kainga, and va

• paired with visuals to be used interactively

What does “Va” mean in Mana Moana?

Albert Wendt

The space between entities— not dividing but connecting

• nurtured through reciprocity, affection, and relational sensitivity in research

What is “Arofa” and its role in relationships?

Empathy, love, grace, ultruism

• acting out of love (not fear), and addressing tensions in the va through love and accountability

Define “Atu” in the Mana Moana framework.

Outward intentionality and energy we send into the relational space, focusing on how our actions affect others

What does “Mai” represent in Mana Moana?

What we receive from others in the va

• reflects how we are impacted spirituallu, ecologically, and interpersonally

Explain “Atamai” as a concept.

The cognitive processing of what we receive (mai) and what we send (atu)

• symbolised as a double spiral and emphasizes relational wisdom.

What is the significance of “Po”?

The unseen, unknown, spiritual darkness filled with potential

• reflects grief & creative origins

What does “Kainga” mean?

extended family and land connections, providing a sense of identity, support, and security.

What is “Tauhi Va”?

The practice of holding space for others, requiring awareness of operating paradigms, values, blind spots, and strengths in a relational setting.

What are the goals of the Mana Moana Manifesto?

To awaken ancestral power, activate indigenous service, restore balance in relationships, and create transformative change

What are the four principles of Mana Moana?

All My Kids Teach

• Arofa(love/reciprocity)

• Mana (indigenous elevation)

• Kaitiaki (cultural protection)

• Tupu (innovation & integration)

What is the purpose of the Mana Moana Leadership Programme?

To curate spaces where ancestral knowledge is activated for systemic healing and transformation, grounded in va and self-reflection.

What does the programme offer participants?

Opportunities to operationalise ancestral wisdom, integrate healing with leadership, and increase resilience.

What does Mana Moana suggest about ancestral knowledge?

It is vital and essential to healt, identity, and leadership in contemporary Pasifika lives

What cultural protective factors were linked to better outcomes in Pasifika youth?

Spiritual beliefs, speaking a Pasifika language, cultural pride, and feeling accepted—associated with better health and academic success.

Why use creative methods like pūrākau and poetry in psychology?

They honour indigenous ways of knowing, are emotionally evocative, support relationality, and democratise the research process.

What are the key critiques of Eurocentric research from a Mana Moana perspective?

It's universalist, reductionist, and essentialist—ignores relational, embodied, and spiritual forms of knowing.

Universalist

Assumes that knowledge, theories, or experiences are the same across all cultures and people—what is true for one group (usually Western) is considered true for everyone.

Reductionist

Simplifies complex human experiences into basic components, often breaking things down into measurable parts like numbers, symptoms, or isolated behaviors.

This strips away meaning, context, and relationships. For example, it might reduce "well-being" to a mood score, ignoring the person’s whānau (family), land, or spiritual connection.

Essentialist

Assumes people or cultures have fixed, unchanging traits (e.g., "all Māori are like this" or "Pasifika people are emotional").

Critique:

It reinforces stereotypes and overlooks diversity and complexity within groups. It denies people's ability to change, adapt, or define themselves in their own terms.

What makes pūrākau valuable in psychological research?

It’s narrative, foundational, relational, and healing—transmits wisdom across generations and helps reclaim indigenous storytelling.

What lessons are drawn from the Māui and Tāwhaki pūrākau?

Māui highlights collective action for change; Tāwhaki emphasizes repairing relationships after social transgressions.

Why were poems used instead of photo-elicitation or standard analysis?

Poems made the findings accessible, engaging, and confidential, reflecting participants’ lived experience more authentically.