“Rangahau [ranga (to bring about) and hau (vital essence)] is a process of finding out or seeking, often in a reflective or psychic sense. It is a pursuit of learning or investigation. It's basis is often sourced from the narratives of old, with the application of those lessons to the present day.
Rangahau is grounded in a cultural perspective, tikanga Māori and āhuatanga (aspects of things) Māori, in accordance with its experiences and truths. The word is often used as a Māori translation of research - it is both more and less than that and, like ‘kaupapa Māori’ before it, will change over time and will develop different definitions for different pursuits.
Rangahau has been defined as the ‘seeking of knowledge whereby the process of seeking, the nature of the knowledge and the outcomes are grounded in Te Ao Māori and its associated tikanga Māori’. In this sense rangahau upholds a Māori perspective, is undertaken by Māori people, often scopes different experiences and different truths, and can be, like research, transformative.
Rangahau may or may not be, “original, of a critical nature, open to public scrutiny or capable of rigorous assessment by experts in a given discipline.” But it is subject to scrutiny, which may be more rigorous or whose rigour may be bounded by parochial, tribal, or community-derived demands. The ‘experts’ are community leaders, possessors of mātauranga or those influenced by the outcomes of the pursuit. Rangahau as an exercise is also subject to tikanga – ‘ethics-like’ rules which, for this exercise, should be considered as one and the same.”
From Te Matarau Whānui - Te Pūkenga Ethical Framework (Draft)
