Introducing Te Ruru

At Whakauae, we developed Te Ruru as a Kaupapa Māori systems change framework to help us better understand and respond to the complex systems shaping Māori health and wellbeing. Systems thinking recognises that social, environmental, political, cultural, and economic issues are deeply interconnected. Indigenous worldviews have long understood this interconnectedness through relationships between people, whenua, wai, ancestors, and the wider living world.

Te Ruru brings together systems change thinking with the values, histories, and aspirations that guide our Kaupapa Māori research practice. It was developed to help make visible both the seen and unseen forces shaping Māori experiences, including the ongoing impacts of colonisation, disconnection, and inequity, while also recognising the strengths, knowledge, creativity, and leadership already present within our communities.

Te Ruru works across three interconnected lenses: micro, meso, and macro. The micro lens focuses on people, values, relationships, healing, and identity. The meso lens looks at organisations, collaborations, practices, and how change happens collectively. The macro lens considers the wider systems, structures, environments, and conditions that shape long-term transformation.

Rather than being a fixed or linear framework, Te Ruru is adaptive and fluid. The three lenses are designed to move between one another depending on what is needed in the moment. At times the work may begin at the macro level, addressing policy or structural conditions. At other times, transformation may begin at the micro level through healing, relationships, or shifts in thinking. The layers operate together, often simultaneously, allowing researchers and communities to move across different parts of the system as new insights, opportunities, and challenges emerge.

The framework is represented through the image of Te Ruru (morepork/owl). Its eyes represent perception and the ability to understand systems across different levels. Its beak represents translation and communication, helping research move between communities, organisations, and decision-makers. The wings represent collective movement and action, while the claws reflect the practical work of creating change on the ground alongside whānau and communities.

At the centre of Te Ruru sit the tikanga and values of Whakauae, grounding the framework in Kaupapa Māori practice, relationships, and accountability. Te Ruru reminds us that systems change is not only about changing structures and policies. It is also about healing, restoring relationships, strengthening Indigenous knowledge, and creating the conditions for Māori flourishing.