The University of Washington's Indigenous Wellness Research Institute (IWRI) proudly hosted the fifth International Network of Indigenous Health Knowledge and Development (INIHKD) Conference under the theme Reclaiming Indigenous Ecologies of Love (RIEL) at the stunning Tamaya Resort in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This gathering brought together Indigenous delegates, researchers, and thought leaders from around the globe to explore and uplift Indigenous knowledges, practices, and innovations that centre love, land, healing, and self-determination.
Among those in attendance were kaimahi from Whakauae Research who not only contributed to the conference kaupapa through presentations and knowledge exchange but also used the opportunity to cement and celebrate significant international partnerships.
Co-presenting with Wai Rangahau: Haere Atu ki te Ūkaipō
Whakauae joined long-standing research partner Wai Rangahau to co-present on their shared body of work exploring Māori concepts of home, land, love, and liberation. The presentation, Haere atu ki te ūkaipō – Māori Concepts of Land, Love, and Liberation, was led by Tanya Allport, Amohia Boulton, and Hector Kaiwai, and traced a decade-long collaboration between the two Indigenous research centres.
At the heart of the presentation was the concept of ūkaipō – the nurturing, life-giving connection to ancestral lands. For Māori, the idea of ‘home’ is deeply relational, rooted in genealogy, whakapapa, and whenua. The research shared challenges the dominant Western, capitalist concept of home as private property and economic capital, proposing instead an Indigenous understanding of land as a living ancestor - deserving of love, care, and reciprocal relationship.
Drawing on three major research projects undertaken between 2014 and 2024, the presentation revealed how Māori have navigated the deep distress and harm resulting from colonisation, land dispossession, and urbanisation, and how aroha for the land continues to underpin efforts toward healing and wellbeing. The studies include:
These projects highlight the resilience and adaptability of Māori in expressing and redefining home across diverse realities. They also underscore the power of Indigenous research methodologies in reclaiming narratives and systems that reflect Māori values and aspirations.
Co-presenting with Glenis Mark and Christina Oré
Dr Amohia Boulton was also fortunate to co-present with former Whakauae researcher and now independent researcher Glenis Mark in two separate sessions related to traditional healing and the role it plays in restoring health and wellbeing, not only for people but also for the whenua.
In their first presentation Amohia, Glenis and Christina Oré (Seven Directions Indigenous Public Health Institute) spoke of a piece of joint work they are involved in exploring critical perspectives and collaborative pathways for Indigenous and Western health and healing. In their presentation they argued that not only can Indigenous perspectives of health and healing usefully work alongside Western approaches to reduce inequities in health outcome, but that they are in fact essential to caring for people, the land and the other inhabitants of this realm. The ideas presented in their kōrero form the basis of an edited book which discusses how Western medical practice and traditional healing can work congruently to reduce inequities in health outcome.
In the second presentation Glenis and Amohia presented the results of the HRC-funded Te Ao Rauropi study to an international audience. With a similar premise and theme to the earlier paper, Glenis and Amohia outlined the key concepts of the Te Ao Rauropi model encouraging participants to think of traditional medicine and in particular Rongoā Māori as more than a sum of individual parts which can help prevent and cure ill-health but rather as a way of living lightly on, in harmony with, and with love for, our planet.
A conference grounded in aroha and Indigenous leadership
The RIEL 2025 conference offered more than just a forum for academic exchange - it created a culturally rich, spiritually connected space for Indigenous communities to come together in the spirit of love, resistance, and collective care. The contribution of Whakauae through formal partnerships and knowledge sharing speak to a future where Indigenous research is not only about generating knowledge but about transforming systems and restoring balance.
As global Indigenous communities continue to reclaim their spaces, voices, and futures, gatherings like INIHKD 2025 are vital reminders that aroha - for land, for people, for knowledge - is at the heart of Indigenous health and wellbeing.
The University of Washington's Indigenous Wellness Research Institute (IWRI) proudly hosted the fifth International Network of Indigenous Health Knowledge and Development (INIHKD) Conference under the theme Reclaiming Indigenous Ecologies of Love (RIEL) at the stunning Tamaya Resort in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This gathering brought together Indigenous delegates, researchers, and thought leaders from around the globe to explore and uplift Indigenous knowledges, practices, and innovations that centre love, land, healing, and self-determination.
Among those in attendance were kaimahi from Whakauae Research who not only contributed to the conference kaupapa through presentations and knowledge exchange but also used the opportunity to cement and celebrate significant international partnerships.
Co-presenting with Wai Rangahau: Haere Atu ki te Ūkaipō
Whakauae joined long-standing research partner Wai Rangahau to co-present on their shared body of work exploring Māori concepts of home, land, love, and liberation. The presentation, Haere atu ki te ūkaipō – Māori Concepts of Land, Love, and Liberation, was led by Tanya Allport, Amohia Boulton, and Hector Kaiwai, and traced a decade-long collaboration between the two Indigenous research centres.
At the heart of the presentation was the concept of ūkaipō – the nurturing, life-giving connection to ancestral lands. For Māori, the idea of ‘home’ is deeply relational, rooted in genealogy, whakapapa, and whenua. The research shared challenges the dominant Western, capitalist concept of home as private property and economic capital, proposing instead an Indigenous understanding of land as a living ancestor - deserving of love, care, and reciprocal relationship.
Drawing on three major research projects undertaken between 2014 and 2024, the presentation revealed how Māori have navigated the deep distress and harm resulting from colonisation, land dispossession, and urbanisation, and how aroha for the land continues to underpin efforts toward healing and wellbeing. The studies include:
These projects highlight the resilience and adaptability of Māori in expressing and redefining home across diverse realities. They also underscore the power of Indigenous research methodologies in reclaiming narratives and systems that reflect Māori values and aspirations.
Co-presenting with Glenis Mark and Christina Oré
Dr Amohia Boulton was also fortunate to co-present with former Whakauae researcher and now independent researcher Glenis Mark in two separate sessions related to traditional healing and the role it plays in restoring health and wellbeing, not only for people but also for the whenua.
In their first presentation Amohia, Glenis and Christina Oré (Seven Directions Indigenous Public Health Institute) spoke of a piece of joint work they are involved in exploring critical perspectives and collaborative pathways for Indigenous and Western health and healing. In their presentation they argued that not only can Indigenous perspectives of health and healing usefully work alongside Western approaches to reduce inequities in health outcome, but that they are in fact essential to caring for people, the land and the other inhabitants of this realm. The ideas presented in their kōrero form the basis of an edited book which discusses how Western medical practice and traditional healing can work congruently to reduce inequities in health outcome.
In the second presentation Glenis and Amohia presented the results of the HRC-funded Te Ao Rauropi study to an international audience. With a similar premise and theme to the earlier paper, Glenis and Amohia outlined the key concepts of the Te Ao Rauropi model encouraging participants to think of traditional medicine and in particular Rongoā Māori as more than a sum of individual parts which can help prevent and cure ill-health but rather as a way of living lightly on, in harmony with, and with love for, our planet.
A conference grounded in aroha and Indigenous leadership
The RIEL 2025 conference offered more than just a forum for academic exchange - it created a culturally rich, spiritually connected space for Indigenous communities to come together in the spirit of love, resistance, and collective care. The contribution of Whakauae through formal partnerships and knowledge sharing speak to a future where Indigenous research is not only about generating knowledge but about transforming systems and restoring balance.
As global Indigenous communities continue to reclaim their spaces, voices, and futures, gatherings like INIHKD 2025 are vital reminders that aroha - for land, for people, for knowledge - is at the heart of Indigenous health and wellbeing.
