Incorporating New Zealand indigenous views into community resilience frameworks for the built environment

Abstract

Community resilience lacks a standardized definition and methodology to quantify. Many governments and organizations have attempted to construct frameworks for improving community resilience, particularly as related to the built environment. However, few of these frameworks explicitly consider the values and cultural aspects of marginalized communities that are potentially negatively disadvantaged due to colonialization or socio-economic deprivation. To date, little research has worked on integrating Maori cultural views into these resilience frameworks. Using survey results investigating Maori and New Zealand European cultural views on resilience and aspects of the built environment, it has been found that Maori value unity and community cohesion as aspects of resilience more than New Zealand Europeans. Further, communities can increase community cohesion and unity through adapting Maori Marae’s or communal gathering places to increase community resilience following a disaster.