Māori-Centred Health and Safety Frameworks: The Development of Haumaru Tāngata

In Aotearoa New Zealand, workplace health and safety remains a pressing concern. Māori workers are disproportionately affected by injuries and fatalities on the job, a pattern that speaks to deeper systemic issues. In response, initiatives such as Haumaru Tāngata are emerging to provide a culturally grounded framework that not only addresses health and safety (H&S) but does so in a way that recognises and respects Māori worldviews.

The Current Landscape: Māori Workers and Workplace Risk

Statistics clearly show that Māori workers are overrepresented in workplace harm. According to WorkSafe New Zealand, Māori are 1.6 times more likely to experience a fatal workplace injury compared to non-Māori workers. They are also more likely to be employed in higher-risk industries such as construction, agriculture, forestry, and manufacturing.

A 2020 report from WorkSafe noted that, although Māori make up approximately 17% of the national workforce, they account for nearly 25% of serious workplace injuries. This disparity highlights a systemic problem that traditional, Western-style H&S frameworks have struggled to address effectively.

Several contributing factors have been identified:

• Industry Profile: Māori workers are more likely to be in physically demanding roles with greater exposure to hazards.

• Employment Conditions: Māori are overrepresented in casual, contract, and seasonal work, where health and safety protections may be weaker.

• Cultural Disconnect: Traditional health and safety models often fail to resonate with Māori values, ways of working, and understandings of wellbeing.

  
  

These statistics underscore the need for a new approach – one that is culturally meaningful and practically effective.

The Challenge: Aligning Māori Values with Traditional Health and Safety Models

Traditional Western health and safety frameworks are often built on compliance, control, and individual responsibility. While these are important aspects, they can clash with Māori concepts of wellbeing and collective responsibility.

For Māori, hauora (holistic wellbeing) encompasses physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, and the health of whānau (family) and hapū (sub-tribe) is as important as that of the individual. Health and safety is not viewed simply as avoiding accidents; it is about maintaining balance and fulfilling responsibilities to one's community and ancestors.

Some of the challenges faced when applying traditional Western models include:

• Language Barriers: Health and safety materials are often in formal English and may not capture the nuances of Te Reo Māori or Māori concepts.

• Authority Structures: Māori often work within whānau-based or collective structures rather than strict hierarchies, which may not align with Western models that focus on top-down instruction.

• Holistic Perspectives: Western H&S systems tend to compartmentalise health, safety, and wellbeing, whereas Māori views see these elements as interconnected and inseparable.

• Historical Distrust: Historical experiences of marginalisation have led to mistrust of state or regulatory systems, which can create barriers to engagement.

  
  

In short, traditional H&S approaches risk appearing irrelevant, intrusive, or incomplete from a Māori point of view. This situation has contributed to lower participation in safety initiatives, higher risks in the workplace, and poorer outcomes for Māori workers.

The Solution: Haumaru Tāngata – A Māori-Centred Framework

Recognising the need for change, Haumaru Tāngata has been developed as a framework designed by Māori, for Māori. The framework seeks to embed Māori cultural values into health and safety systems, creating an approach that is both respectful and practical.

At its heart, Haumaru Tāngata is built on key Māori principles:

• Whanaungatanga: Building strong relationships and collective responsibility for safety.

• Manaakitanga: Caring for others' wellbeing in a holistic way.

• Kaitiakitanga: Acting as guardians of people and places, recognising that the environment plays a vital role in safety and health.

• Kotahitanga: Working together in unity towards common goals for the wellbeing of all.

  
  

Rather than focusing purely on compliance, Haumaru Tāngata promotes embedding health and safety into the everyday practices and tikanga (customs) of a workplace. It emphasises collective responsibility, storytelling (pūrākau) as a way of sharing lessons, and the use of wānanga (collaborative learning environments) to build knowledge and trust.

Practical Applications of Haumaru Tāngata

Some examples of how Haumaru Tāngata might be applied in workplaces include:

• Safety Briefings with a Māori Lens: Using Te Reo Māori and culturally relevant metaphors to explain risks.

• Involving Whānau: Health and safety planning includes not just the worker but their whānau, recognising the broader impact of workplace injury.

• Cultural Leadership: Appointing H&S leaders who are respected within the Māori workforce and can bridge cultural and operational priorities.

• Holistic Wellbeing Initiatives: Addressing issues such as fatigue, mental health, and substance use with an understanding of whakamā (shame/embarrassment) and the importance of collective healing.

• Place-Based Approaches: Acknowledging the significance of whenua (land) and whakapapa (genealogy) in workplace settings, particularly on projects that affect ancestral lands.

  
  

By framing health and safety around values and collective wellbeing rather than mere rule-following, Māori workers are more likely to engage, contribute, and feel ownership over the outcomes.

Broader Implications for New Zealand Workplaces

The development of Māori-centred frameworks like Haumaru Tāngata has wider benefits beyond Māori communities. It encourages all workplaces to rethink health and safety as a shared cultural responsibility rather than a top-down compliance task.

Moreover, it aligns with WorkSafe New Zealand’s broader vision of “Healthy Work, Safe Workers” – recognising that different groups have different needs, and that truly effective systems must be inclusive and adaptable.

There are challenges ahead, of course. Integrating new frameworks into existing structures will take time, resources, and leadership commitment. There will also be a need to train non-Māori managers and supervisors to understand and respect the approach, rather than treating it as an optional extra.

However, the opportunity is significant. Not only could Māori injury and fatality rates be dramatically reduced, but a culturally rich, relational approach to workplace wellbeing could set a new global standard for what it means to care for workers.

FINAL WORDS

The overrepresentation of Māori in workplace injuries and fatalities is a sobering reflection of deeper systemic issues that cannot be solved by traditional approaches alone. Haumaru Tāngata offers a new path — one rooted in Māori values, focused on collective wellbeing, and aiming for true cultural partnership in the workplace.

As New Zealand continues to shape a future where Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles are honoured across all areas of life, the development and adoption of Māori-centred health and safety frameworks will be an important step towards more equitable, meaningful, and safer working environments for all.

You can read the full Haumaru Tāngata Framework document here