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‘Not very responsive for Kaumātua’: A Wānanga-based qualitative study (single-group design) of Māori Kaumātua and Māori health provider experiences of type 2 diabetes care
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2026-07-20) Kovanur Sampath, Kesava; Haggie, Marrin; Tapara, Timi; Brownie, Sharon
Background Māori experience a disproportionate burden of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), with ongoing inequities in access, continuity, and outcomes of care. While culturally responsive approaches are recognised as important, limited qualitative research centers kaumātua (Māori elders aged 50 years and over) voices in evaluating current diabetes care and informing service redesign. Aim To explore kaumātua and Māori health providers’ perspectives on the cultural responsiveness, strengths, and limitations of current T2DM management in New Zealand, and to examine perceived opportunities for community-embedded and mobile models of care. Methods A qualitative study informed by Kaupapa Māori principles was conducted using a wānanga-based (collective forum for discussion and knowledge-sharing) approach. Kaumātua living with T2DM were purposively recruited through a Māori community organisation. Collective kōrero (conversation/discussion) were audio-recorded and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, interpreted through a Kaupapa Māori analytic lens. Reporting followed the Consolidated Criteria for Strengthening Reporting of Health Research Involving Indigenous Peoples (CONSIDER). Results Seven kaumātua and Māori health providers participated. Current diabetes care was described as fragmented and insufficiently responsive to cultural and contextual needs. Effective care was grounded in whanaungatanga (relationships and connectedness), manaakitanga (care, respect, and dignity), whānau engagement, culturally safe spaces, and accessibility. Structural barriers, including transport challenges, financial pressures, and fragmented information systems, constrained continuity of care. Participants strongly endorsed a mobile, community-embedded diabetes service as a culturally appropriate approach to improving access, continuity, and equity. Conclusion Kaumātua perspectives highlight the need for relational, culturally grounded, and accessible diabetes care. Mobile, community-embedded models offer a promising pathway to address structural barriers while upholding mana, dignity, and whānau-centred care.
AI companions: Assessing future risks and benefits to well-being
(Routledge, 2026-09-18) Weijers, Dan M.; Munn, Nicholas; Dennis, Matthew J; Königs, Peter
In the last decade, millions of people have used artificially intelligent (AI) social chatbots that are specifically designed to be a companion (Weijers & Munn, 2024a). Many of these users even consider an AI companion to be their best friend or romantic partner (Weijers & Munn, 2022; Xie et al., 2023). With loneliness soaring (Maese, 2023) and many AI chatbots being free to use, it may soon be the case that a billion people consider an AI to be their friend. Given the importance of friendship for well-being, this chapter draws on theoretical and empirical literature to highlight the likely impacts of AI companions on human well-being. In doing so, we engage in digital well-being research, which includes among its aims the investigation of the impact of digital technologies on what makes humans’ lives go well for them (Burr et al., 2020; Dennis, 2021).
Disability and ableism in the falsos positivos in Colombia. A biopolitics circuitry approach.
(The University of Waikato, 2026-03) Munera R, Etilvia; Del Monte , Pablo; Jarallah, Yara; Jimenez , Alberto
In this paper I argue that the erasure of disabled people from official discourse during and after the Colombian Army’s Falsos positivos scandal results from intersecting ableist and biopolitical powers. In the early 2000s, the Colombian Army presented thousands of civilian victims as positive results in staged military operations. This scandal stands as a horrific chapter in Colombia’s contemporary history. While the scale of these crimes has been documented, disability and the intersecting identities of the victims have often been overlooked as a secondary characteristic, concealing how the Colombian state’s power targeted particular bodies. Employing a qualitative methodology that integrates elements of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA and Narrative analysis (NA). I apply this approach to the testimonial stories of two victims, Camilo and Roger, whose cases exemplify the intersections between the Falsos Positivos and disabilities in Colombia. I also triangulate these testimonies with press and official discourses from the conflict period and the subsequent Transitional Justice process. The analysis reveals a systematic erasure of disabled people from official discourses, both during the time the scandal emerged and throughout the post-conflict (post 2016) period and its transitional justice mechanisms. I argue that this erasure is produced by the interlocking operation of the three theoretical concepts that comprise the biopolitics circuitry. The stories of Camilo and Roger demonstrate that their legibility as targets of Falsos Positivos by the military was based on a hierarchy of worth, founded in ableist values of productivity, capacity, and conformity to an idealised normative body (Goodley, 2014; Mitchell & Snyder, 2018). This thesis thus contributes to the growing field of Disability Studies in the Global South while simultaneously offering a critical approach to understanding state violence against disabled bodies and Transitional Justice systems.
Non-reimbursable foreign aid as a factor for reducing war reparations in inter-state adjudication
(Brill, 2026) Alvarez-Jimenez, Alberto
The ICJ dealt with the issue of reparations in international armed conflict in Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Uganda). The ICJ relied conceptually on the work on the subject-matter by the Eritrea-Ethiopia Claims Commission (EECC). This close connection could also revitalize other EECC statements on compensation. Particularly, the use of non-reimbursable foreign aid received by the injured State as a factor that reduces compensation to be paid by the responsible State. This article challenges this approach for lack of support in the Articles on State Responsibility, identifies potential counter-arguments, such as the existence of punitive damages or double recovery if non-reimbursable foreign aid is not discounted, and responds to them. As the EECC and ICJ recognized, war compensations remedy only a fraction of the injury, so this article seeks to avoid a further erosion of an already low war reparation.
Mātauranga informed enhancement of natural reef recovery and resilience for mahinga kai restoration: Replenishment of mana and mauri
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Taufa, Natalie; Battershill, Christopher
Coastal environments in Aotearoa/New Zealand are highly dynamic and diverse ecosystems that hold great cultural, social, economic and spiritual significance to Māori communities (the indigenous people of Aotearoa), yet face major threats from climate change, alongside other anthropogenically induced pressures. New Zealand's temperate reefs are experiencing increasing habitat degradation, biodiversity loss, and altered ecosystem functioning, which is evident in the depletion of culturally significant species and the declining state of health and mauri. The continual degradation of natural resources has had significant cultural impacts, compromising traditional customs such as mahinga kai (food gathering), kaitiakitanga (stewardship) and manaakitanga (hospitality), which is of great concern to mana whenua in Whangaruru, Northland. This thesis set out to address mana whenua concerns regarding the ongoing degradation of their moana rohe (ocean tribal area) by co-developing a monitoring framework for indigenous marine management, with a particular focus on rāhui as a traditional restriction on natural resources. Semi-structured interviews with kaumātua and kuia of Whangaruru were conducted, utilising a culturally responsive approach to collect oral histories and capture their perspectives on spatial and temporal environmental changes. The results revealed their key objectives for managing a rāhui within their moana rohe. Additionally, this study reviewed existing techniques of traditional and contemporary monitoring approaches used in comparable reef restoration contexts. Methods that aligned with the objectives identified through the interviews were incorporated into the framework. The outcome of this research was a monitoring framework that addresses the concerns of mana whenua (local indigenous people) by being responsive to their needs, filling a significant gap in existing marine management approaches. It also advocates for a decolonised research methodology that prioritises co-design, co-development, and collaboration with mana whenua, as a collective approach benefits the environment (te taiao), local communities, and researchers. The research draws on participants' intimate connection to their environment, leading to an innovative framework to revive guardianship (kaitiakitanga), provide hospitality (manaakitanga), and safeguard treasured species (taonga) and people, thereby maintaining cultural and ecological integrity. It stresses the importance of observing and listening to the environment, drawing from mātauranga and acting according to tikanga (customs). Ultimately, this study proposes a culturally grounded framework that promotes indigenous autonomy, protects food sovereignty, and reinforces the connection between people and te taiao for future generations.