Navigating the space between co-design and mahitahi: Building bridges between knowledge systems on behalf of communities

Aims: To provide knowledge and recommendations for researchers, health professionals and policymakers on navigating between science and mātauranga (knowledge) Māori when using co-design methodologies.

Context: It is well known that the health system in Aotearoa/New Zealand does not provide culturally responsive services, programmes or approaches. Indigenous, remote and vulnerable populations that are not well served by medical and scientific models would be better served by the underlying premise of co-design methodology. However, co-design is a Western methodology. Mahitahi is presented here as a culturally responsive method of co-design that builds approaches by utilising the worldview of the people that the health system most needs to have impact upon. Co-design and mahitahi have synergies, and working at the interface between Western and Māori knowledge systems can provide innovative solutions that draw on the strengths of both approaches.

Approach: Authors will outline the benefit co-design processes have for improving health outcomes for remote and vulnerable populations. Mahitahi will be described and the synergies with co-design emphasised with important distinctions also highlighted. The use of Indigenous knowledge systems, using Māori as the case example, will be outlined.

Conclusion: Recommendations will be provided to guide researchers, health professionals and policy makers when planning a co-design approach with remote and vulnerable communities.