Kia Mārire (“Effectiveness with Māori”) is the national strategy of Male Survivors Aotearoa to provide a range of support services that are effective for Māori. This strategy is intended to manifest our national policy (Working with Maori – PDF), which is firmly rooted in our commitment to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi – principles of partnership and participation that require us to work with Māori to develop and integrate support services that are culturally appropriate for our Māori male-survivor community.
The strategy is also designed to address the current reality that our national client base includes a large number of male survivors who identify as Māori and in some regions represent more than 50% of the male-survivor communities that seek our support. We are deeply conscious that in order to serve those communities effectively, we need to enable and support recovery pathways that respect and embrace their cultural values.
Kia Mārire will be implemented over the next three years with the support and guidance of our Te Rōpū Tautoko (a subcommittee of the MSA Board – see below). Implementation of Kia Mārire will build Māori capacity within MSA and the MMO’s and facilitate the development of effective relationships with Kaupapa Māori service providers across Aotearoa.