Understanding contemporary Māori demographic fertility patterns and trends in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

This thesis re-examines demographic studies of contemporary Māori fertility patterns and trends. Analysing fertility is a core undertaking in demography, and in studies that include Māori fertility, most have been undertaken by non-Māori demographers who instinctively draw on Western-based frameworks to analyse and interpret these trends. Consequently, Māori perspectives are virtually invisible. Incorporating Māori perspectives are needed because despite a convergence of fertility similar to Pākehā, important fertility patterns persist. Notably, Māori women bear their babies earlier and over a longer period. Fertility studies of other Indigenous peoples in settler-colonial states share striking similarities. While demographic and economic factors are important in fertility outcomes, this thesis primarily explores the potential influence of culture, which has received little attention. Hence, this doctoral study asks: To what extent does culture influence contemporary Māori fertility patterns?

This thesis draws on Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wahine frameworks, along with the tools of demography, to deploy a mixed methods design of statistical techniques – using secondary data from the 2013 Aotearoa NZ Census and the 1995 New Zealand Women: Family, Employment, and Education Survey – and thematic analysis of interviews with nine Māori women. While acknowledging the limitations of the analyses, the empirical results suggest that ‘cultural identity’ is an important factor in Māori fertility, and that ‘whakapapa’ and ‘whānau’ are at the heart of fertility decisions. These findings broadly imply that taken-for-granted demographic theories and analytical practices need to incorporate Indigenous-centred frameworks and perspectives for a better understanding of Indigenous fertility and population change.