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In 1992 staff of the Department of Mäori Studies, Massey University, in response to pressure from tribes and other Mäori groups, recognised the need for a longitudinal study of Mäori households which would enable cultural, economic and personal factors to be correlated. Three years funding from the Public Good Science Fund enabled the study, known as Best Outcomes for Mäori Te Hoe Nuku Roa, to begin in July 1994 and by 2004 had completed three rounds of interviews with over 550 households.

The programme is now moving into the next phase that will add exisiting information.

A stratified random sampling method - Whaihua Tatau, developed in collaboration with Statistics New Zealand, was used to compile a sample of households that are representative of arange of Mäori geographic, economic, cultural and social circumstances. The total sample comprises 700 Mäori households, and more than 1600 individuals.

The study incorporates four specific aims. First, it uses a Mäori relevant framework to gauge personal and family development. Second, it attempts to objectify the context in which Mäori families and individuals exist by examining their relationships with societal structures at local, regional and national levels, as well as their relationship with Mäori structures. Third, it proposes an integrated and holistic approach to personal and family development with a simultaneous focus on cultural, social and economic dimensions. Fourth, it includes a longitudinal component that offers an opportunity to chart the natural history of Mäori individuals and families and to assess the impact of policies and programmes designed to address their specific and general needs.

The next phase of the project will build on the experiences and the information obtained in the first ten years. However the focus will now reflect new concerns and issues that were less obvious a decade ago.

While most of the households in the original study will continue to participate, others will join from different parts of the country. It means that the reach of Te Hoe Nuku Roa will be greater and the study will be more relevant to the 21st century.