Social Work, a Spiritual Kind of Work: Exploring the Experiences of Māori Social Workers

ABSTRACT

Although Indigenous practitioners around the world emphasise the importance of spirituality in social work, epistemic injustices often perpetuate the neglect of traditional knowledge in everyday practices. This paper explores the experiences of six Māori practitioners who work from cultural perspectives in the New Zealand context. Since these individuals subscribe to Indigenous Māori philosophies, Kaupapa Māori Theory is an important part of this study’s epistemology. The research findings provide some unique interpretations of Māori spirituality while highlighting the value of Indigenous knowledge within the broader spheres of social work practice and education.

IMPLICATIONS

• Social work practice is decolonised through culturally responsive methods and prioritising the Indigenous voice within Australian and New Zealand social services.

• Social work education is strengthened through the recognition of culturally responsive pedagogical frameworks within mainstream curricula and institutes.

虽然全世界的原住民实践者在社会工作中强调精神的重要性，但由于认识上的不公正，日常实践中的传统知识每每遭到忽视。本文探讨了六位毛利实践者在新西兰环境中进行文化工作的经历。他们信奉毛利原住民的哲学，故Kaupapa Maori 理论成为本研究认识论的一个重要部分。本研究对毛利人的精神世界做了独特的解释，强调了原住民知识在社会工作和教育领域中的价值。

KEYWORDS:

• Social Work
• Indigenous Knowledge
• Spirituality

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Dr John Paul Healy and Associate Professor Dr Susan Huhana Mlcek who provided research assistance with this paper, and also to the participants involved in the research for their time and patience.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.