Aronga takirua and hauora

Māori scientists are experiencing burnout because of the burden that is placed on them to provide their expertise on mātauranga Māori.

Photo of Professor Jarrod Haar using his laptop in a meeting — Professor Jarrod Haar at a BNZIC team meeting

Aronga takirua (or cultural double-shift) is a term coined to describe the dual focus that Māori scientists must have in their work, encompassing both Western knowledge and mātauranga Māori.

Employers value wellbeing in the workplace

Many employers are starting to understand how important it is to ensure their employees' wellbeing in the workplace. This can include physical and mental health, as well as work-life balance and job satisfaction.

One wellbeing issue at the forefront of many discussions is burnout, a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress and overworking. It can lead to feelings of detachment, cynicism, and a reduced sense of accomplishment, and it can have serious negative effects on a person's overall wellbeing.

Prolonged stress and overworking can be caused by various factors such as job insecurity, poor work-life balance, and excessive workload.

Māori scientists are in high demand for their expertise

Indigenous philosophy and practice offer many insights into contemporary management thinking. However, the burden to provide this knowledge and uphold these relationships primarily falls on indigenous employees.

In the context of Aotearoa New Zealand’s science sector, the indigenous population plays a unique role because of the national legislative obligation to engage with Māori in science and innovation. This policy, known as Vision Mātauranga, seeks to unlock the innovation potential of Māori knowledge, resources, and people.

While this policy is beneficial for engagement with Māori communities and stakeholders, it creates a unique environment for Māori employees where there is heightened pressure and increased workload.

This high demand is creating burnout

This growing pressure on Māori scientists to provide their expertise on Mātauranga Māori contributes to burnout. Researchers Jarrod Haar and William-John Martin found evidence that the hauora (wellbeing) of Māori scientists is being detrimentally impacted by these additional cultural obligations.

Quotes from Māori researchers

“I feel exhausted and burnt out [reiterated by many hui participants]”.

“Burnout is real (in the science system), but it’s also real in an iwi, hapū, and whānau setting too. How do we keep ourselves and each other safe throughout these spaces and places? The more of us that say ‘yes’ to 0.1 [10% of a full-time equivalent (FTE) role] on a project, the more they will just use us and burn us out—we have to speak up collectively on this!”

“Those of us who have been on the ground for a while have seen the movement of people. There are 700 Māori PhDs, and most of them aren’t in the system, so there is a huge amount of burnout. It’s a huge issue for us to reflect on, and that is largely how the system is accelerating burnout. What does that mean for us in terms of the next generation of Māori researchers?”

“I have [Māori] ex-colleagues who were so burnt out they left the profession for good! [Reiterated by several hui participants.]”

Wellbeing issues are a consequence of aronga takirua

Detrimental effects on the hauora of Māori researchers is one component of this research that highlights how Māori scientists work in multiple roles with a dual focus (Western and Māori). Many refer to this as ‘double labour’. However, it is more than just labour, aronga takirua or cultural double-shift also captures the cultural drivers, with these drivers and consequences of aronga takirua or cultural double-shift outlined in this model.